Turkish Cypriot leadership election candidate Tufan Erhurman on Thursday afternoon visited the coordination centre which was set up to organise the response to the wildfire which has been raging in the Limassol district.
He was informed by officials at the centre, which is located in the Limassol suburb of Ypsonas, about developments regarding the fire.
According to the Cyprus News Agency, Erhurman expressed “sorrow and solidarity” while in Ypsonas, and said that Turkish Cypriots “are ready to offer assistance for our common island”.
“Now is the time for solidarity. We are ready to help … The view we saw broke our hearts,” he added.
Accompanying him was Erkut Sahali, the secretary-general of the CTP, the party he leads, Turkish Cypriot Kyrenia mayor Murat Senkul, and other officials from the CTP.
Senkul had been one of four Turkish Cypriot officials to offer help in fighting the wildfire, saying that his municipality’s “natural disaster-trained municipal police unit” is “ready to respond” to the fire if requested.
“I hope there will be no need, but if a request is made, the Kyrenia municipality is ready to provide support,” he added.
Incumbent Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, who Erhurman is set to challenge at October’s election, had also offered assistance, as had Turkish Cypriot Nicosia mayor Mehmet Harmanci and Turkish Cypriot Kioneli and Yerolakkos mayor Huseyin Amcaoglu.
Government spokesman Letymbiotis confirmed that he had been informed of Harmanci’s offer by Greek Cypriot chief negotiator Menelaos Menelaou, but that the government currently has at its disposal “sufficient ground forces”.
“Our needs concern mainly firefighting aircraft,” he added.
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