Turkey says ready to help fight Greece wildfires

Turkey Monday said it is ready to help Greece fight the huge wildfires which broke out late Friday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
  
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu offered assistance during a phone conversation with his Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyannis, saying the Turkish government is closely monitoring the disaster, the report quoted diplomatic sources as saying, Xinhua reported.
  
The massive wildfires in Greece have burnt large patches of forests and forced thousands to abandon homes. The blazes came near the downtown Athens Sunday, prompting Greek authorities to declare a state of emergency in greater Athens.
  
Turkey is sending a fire-fighting plane to its neighboring country, the sources said.
  
For his part, Bakoyannis said the Greek government would be pleased if teams from the two countries could cooperate against the fires, according to the report.
  
Aircrafts and helicopters from Italy, France and Cyprus are expected to join the fire-fighting operation at the request of the Greek government, said Greek authorities.