Turkey eyes amphibious jets after forest fire fiasco
Following Ankara's embarrassing failure to control forest fires this summer, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears to be negotiating to purchase Russian firefighting planes.
Massive summer forest fires in Turkey have been very much in the news, along with heavy criticism that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s interventions have been inadequate. The fires have provided strong ammunition for the political opposition.
Major fires broke out in the renowned Mediterranean resort towns of Dalaman and Gocek in July and in the Aegean coastal provinces of Izmir and Canakkale in August. The ministry slow to send helicopters to fight the flames and refused to use three CL-215 fire-fighting planes owned by the Turkish Aeronautical Association (THK), saying the planes weren't safe, triggering severe criticism of Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli.
THK issued a damning statement criticizing the ministry and alleged that although THK planes were ready to be used, the ministry had refused its offer.
“The controversy began when 400 hectares [988 acres] of forest were burning in Mugla province’s Dalaman and Fethiye districts back in July. We made contact with the ministry and readied our planes,” said a THK official quoted in the Turkish media. “We expressed that we could help for free, as these forests are Turkey’s national treasures. But they told us it wasn't necessary. If the authorities had accepted our help, we were ready to intervene.”
