Fire crisis caused Mitsotakis to cancel Cyprus visit

The visit of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Cyprus, scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed due to the crash of a firefighting aircraft in Greece on Tuesday afternoon.

The news was announced following communication between President Nikos Christodoulides and the Greek Prime Minister.

The Cypriot president expressed the sincere condolences of the Republic of Cyprus for the tragic accident that occurred in Karystos, Evia.

He also reiterated Cyprus’ support for Greece for the devastating fires.

Following the recent event, the two country leaders decided jointly that his scheduled visit to Cyprus on Wednesday be postponed.

“Due to the tragic incident in Karystos, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis contacted the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides and agreed that the Prime Minister’s official visit to Cyprus scheduled for tomorrow will be postponed for the next few days,” a statement by the Greek prime minister’s office said.

The Canadair CL-215 aircraft operated by two personnel of the Hellenic Air Force crashed while battling a wildfire in Evia on Tuesday afternoon near the village of Platanistos.

Both airmen have been reported dead. They were named as 34-year-old Captain Christos Moulas and 27-year-old Lieutenant Pericles Stefanidis.