Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 9
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey will use the Russian Beriev Be-200 Altair amphibious aircraft to extinguish forest fires, Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli said, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media.
The minister said that the Turkish side has long been interested in these planes, adding that if Ankara and Moscow agree on their deliveries, Turkey will use them in the fight against forest fires.
The forests take over 27.6 percent of the territory of Turkey. Almost all of them are owned by the state.
More than 68,000 cases of forest fires have been recorded in the history of Turkey since 1937.
More than 24,000 cases of forest fires have been recorded in Turkey in the last 10 years alone.
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