The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, received the visiting American team of experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on Monday at the Presidential Palace, for discussions on wildfire management and bilateral cooperation.
In his welcome remarks, the President thanked the US government for its swift response to Cyprus’s request for support in managing the recent wildfires in Limassol.
“Let me first of all thank the US government for immediately and positively reacting to our request to help us with the recent wildfires in Limassol,” he said. “I consider this a common challenge. We all see what’s going on in Southern Europe especially, and the situation will continue to worsen. So we need to be prepared, and we are always glad to work with the US government.”
Referring to previous cooperation with American agencies, he added: “As soon as I assumed my duties, we collaborated with the FBI to help us face another challenge. We are pleased to have this cooperation at all levels — political, security, economic, and trade — and we will continue to enhance it. We are ready to listen, to see your presentation, and to discuss the way forward, which is most important in order to deal with challenges that will continue.”
On behalf of the ATF team, the head of the delegation expressed appreciation for the collaboration with local authorities: “Our partnership with your law enforcement and fire brigade officials has been just great. They’ve assisted us in every facet of our investigation, and I’d like to thank them publicly.”
He added that their official findings on the origin and cause of the fire would soon be presented to the President, saying it would be “eye-opening” and form the basis of future strategies for managing wildfires in Cyprus.
President Christodoulides confirmed that the Cypriot government would share its planned next steps with the US team, as part of broader efforts to strengthen its wildfire response framework.
Feature photo source: Knews
Also read: US ATF experts begin probe into Limassol wildfire
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