The Minister of Justice and Public Order, Anna Koukkides-Prokopiou, said on Monday that as the wildfire situation was continuously evolving, they had managed successfully any flare-ups, speaking from Paramytha community in Limassol, in the area that was affected by the wildfires of the last few days.
“Just before making these statements, we had another flare-up, one of many we’ve had since morning. I must say that all the forces of the Republic of Cyprus are acting swiftly and effectively to address this phenomenon. We hope that we won’t have the strong winds expected later, as you understand that the primary factor leading to these flare-ups is indeed the weather conditions, which are not favourable for combating any fire,” she added.
The Minister also referred to an announcement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following communication between President Christodoulides and Prime Minister Netanyahu. As a result, she added, a significant reinforcement contingent, consisting of aerial resources and essential equipment, has been promptly dispatched from Israel to Cyprus.
According to a statement by Netanyahu’s Office, ‘operation Wings of Fire crews and firefighting aircraft, led by the National Security Ministry, under the command of the Israel Police Air Division, and in cooperation with the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority and the Israeli Defence forces, will today (Monday, 7 August 2023), take off to assist the Republic of Cyprus in extinguishing huge wildfires in Limassol. This is pursuant to a request by the Republic of Cyprus for emergency assistance, based on the strong bilateral partnership’.
The Cypriot Minister of Justice said that support was crucial.
“I believe we have received assistance from all our partners, those we requested to aid our efforts. We should always remember that good neighbourly relations are a multiplier of strength for any state, especially for a small state like Cyprus, which needs all the friendships, alliances, and collaborations it can have,” she added.
The Minister also said that Cyprus received assistance from Greece, Jordan, Israel and aid was offered also by Lebanon, the Palestinians and the Turkish Cypriots. She also expressed gratitude to the European RescEU mechanism, which was activated with the contribution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the same time Chief Fire Commander Nikos Logginos said that the situation on the wildfire front was showing significant improvement. He expressed confidence that they would manage to bring the entire situation under control on Monday night.
“We are fully prepared. We are addressing each flare-up, and we believe that the situation is progressing very well,” he added.
He also noted their readiness to handle any incident, but acknowledged that sometimes circumstances are such that despite their efforts, they are constrained.
“We faced several flare-ups today, as we did yesterday. Therefore, we have been exerting superhuman efforts, involving all services,” he added. Logginos mentioned that the operation was conducted with the presence of the Chief of Police, the Chief of the National Guard, and all responsible agencies, highlighting their excellent collaboration, which has yielded results.
“In such a significant incident, there will always be some damages. The crucial point is that we have been successfully addressing all incidents thus far, without any human losses, without significant property damage-only minor losses.,” he noted.
Source: Cyprus News Agency