The Republic of Cyprus is dispatching two Air Tractor firefighting aircraft to help French authorities combat major wildfires burning across the country.

Cyprus responded to an official assistance request submitted by France through the European Union’s RescEU mechanism.

The Ministry of Interior announced that the two aircraft are leased to the Republic of Cyprus by the European Union through the RescEU mechanism and are stationed on the island.

RescEU serves as the European civil protection reserve mechanism, which is activated to support member states in responding to major disasters.