With the headline: “Nefes in Rhodes”, the pro-government Turkish newspaper Milliyet refers to Turkey’s assistance to Greece in efforts to put out the devastating fire on the island. Already since Saturday, the helicopter “Nefes” (Breath) and two firefighting aircraft have been involved in the operations, contributing significantly to the extinguishing operations. It should be noted that the T-70 “Nefes” fire-fighting helicopter was built by the Turkish Aerospace Industry with national resources.

In a front-page article also, with the Greek headline: “We stand by you”, the newspaper notes the assistance Turkey is providing in return for Greek support after last February’s deadly earthquakes in the country. “We stand by you with all our hearts, as we do not forget that the Greeks helped us at the most difficult time,” the newspaper’s article reads, among other things.

Speaking to Milliyet, Turkey’s Consul General in Rhodes, Salim Kirtialali, referred to the fires raging on the island and the successful evacuation operation carried out by the Greek authorities. According to him, all Turkish citizens have been evacuated from the island, and he made it known that: “Turkish airports have been opened for support”.

The publication notes the participation of two Turkish ships, sailing from Rhodes to the opposite Turkish coast, in the evacuation operations. Captains Xakan Durchan and Ali Ozer spoke to the newspaper about the dramatic events and how all the tourists were safely evacuated.

A front-page article also in the Aksam newspaper, headlined: “Escape from Rhodes”, reports in detail on the evacuation operations taking place on the island, both to extinguish the fires and to safely remove locals and tourists from the fire fronts.