Fire drill in buffer zone

Agriculture Minister Petros Xenophontos and other officials on Thursday attended a firefighting drill in the buffer zone in the Atsa area outside Nicosia.

The exercise, a collaboration between the forestry department and the UN, involved the scenario extinguishing a fire within the buffer zone as fire season approaches.

Xenophontos, who followed the drill, said he observed a high degree of preparedness by the personnel who participated, citing their readiness “for an immediate and effective response to incidents in the area within the buffer zone”.

“Dealing with forest fires in our country must be treated as an essential safety issue, which is why the primary objective of our ministry is to cultivate environmental awareness among the public,” he said.