Turkey Delivers Firefighting Helicopter to TRNC

Yılmaz was welcomed at Ercan Airport by Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Turkish Ambassador to Nicosia Ali Murat Başçeri, senior military officials, ministers, MPs and other officials.

His delegation included Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, and Orhan Erdem, head of the Turkey–TRNC Parliamentary Friendship Group.

The first event of the visit was a handover ceremony on the airport apron, where the Ka-32 firefighting helicopter assigned by Turkey was officially received by TRNC Agriculture and Natural Resources Minister Hüseyin Çavuş.

Yılmaz said the helicopter would significantly improve the country's ability to respond rapidly to wildfires.

"The earlier the intervention, the lower the cost of dealing with the consequences," he said, expressing hope that the aircraft would serve the country well.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Yumaklı said the deployment reflected Turkey's commitment to protecting the natural environment in the TRNC, just as it does in Turkey.

He said the helicopter, which has a water-dropping capacity of 2.5 tonnes, is highly agile and has been temporarily assigned to the TRNC Forestry Department for the duration of the high-risk fire season.

"It will remain here throughout the risk period. Whenever needed, Turkey will continue to provide additional support," Yumaklı said.

He also announced progress on key water infrastructure projects, saying the Mesarya Plain irrigation project is expected to be completed in 2027, while the 207-kilometre drinking water distribution system is nearing completion.