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The Foreign Ministry is making representations to Brussels[/B], to allow the lease of Russian firefighting helicopters "Kamov",[/B] in case it is not possible to secure other means of flight, Agriculture Minister Kostas Kadis said on Monday.
The sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine have also created problems in firefighting, and as Kostas Kadis said in Limassol this morning, "our Ministry is making every effort so that we have this necessary preparedness, due to the special circumstances that prevailed this year with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the fact that there are restrictions on cooperation with entities related to Russian interests."
"All this has affected the process of securing additional flight assets and has caused us some delay," he said, noting that two tenders, one for the lease of helicopters and one for airplanes, were not successful.
At the same time, the minister stressed that there is a plan B', as "within days the negotiation process with entities that have expressed interest will begin so that we can reach an agreement and the goal is to have as soon as possible, if possible and by the beginning of June, two helicopters and two planes."
Recalling that already the Forestry Department has two helicopters at its disposal, the Minister of Agriculture said that two more are expected from Spain on 13 May, and that "this year we have at our disposal a helicopter from the E.F. and one helicopter from the Police, while efforts are being made to secure additional flight assets through transnational cooperation."
The situation in Ukraine, he continued, has not only affected our supply from companies of Russian interests, but has made it more difficult, for all European states, to supply them with aerial firefighting services.
"I have discussed this with my fellow ministers responsible for these issues and the same problems are faced in all European countries," he said and expressed the hope that "as soon as possible, with methodical, hard work, by the end of May, early June, we will be in full sufficiency."
Asked about this, Mr.Kadis said that if there is no positive development in the consultations, "actions are also being taken through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so that in this exceptional case, we can, as an exception, cooperate with the company that brings the Kamof, because you understand that this is a matter of national security."
The Foreign Minister has already been informed about this,[/B] he added, and representations are being made in Brussels to allow the Republic of Cyprus to lease the Russian helicopters for this year's fire-fighting needs.
Finally, the Agriculture Minister said that he had a meeting last week with the representative of the company from which the Republic leases the Kamov helicopters and "it seems that there is a possibility, if we secure the green light, that these helicopters will come very soon, but it is something that we will see in the coming days depending on the consultations that will be held with the other companies."
Source: CNA
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