President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said that there are optimistic signs are regards the wildfires in the mountainous areas of Limassol but noted that we remain vigilant as there cannot be any complacency. President had a briefing at the coordination center in Limassol.
Speaking to the press he said that the situation is an unprecedented one and weather conditions did not help. He said once again that the primary goal is the protection of human lives adding that financial support will be given to those affected and assistance will be given to employees as well, following a coordination with the Ministries of Labor and Finance.
The President also said that the health personnel is on stand by to provide assistance and added that all authorities and government services’ efforts are extraordinary.
He publicly thanked Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Sweden, Spain and Greece for their response in Cyprus’ request for combating the raging fires.
The President described the situation at Omodos front as difficult, adding that we need to remain vigilant until aircraft can be used in daylight.
Replying to a question he said that RescEU was activated immediately and recalled that many EU countries are also faced with wildfires. Replying to another question he said that is not for him to say that fires are under control and that this is for the experts to determine. But he went on to say that signs are clearly better.
The President also said that the Israeli aircraft are arriving tonight and will operate immediately. As regards to a future assessment of what went wrong, the President said once again that the primary goal is to save lives.
He said that unfortunately we lost two citizens and this is a significant loss for our country.
