Special firefighting aircraft and helicopters of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry have been involved in fighting massive forest infernos in Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro after a sharp increase in fires following a long dry spell and record temperatures this July.
"I think for such countries like Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and probably Greece and Portugal, it would be far more effective if they made a reasonable contribution, and created a European squadron to extinguish fires in different countries efficiently like our air service does," Sergei Shoigu told journalists.
He also said a joint European center to fight catastrophes will have to be set up sooner or later. "We've been talking about setting up such a center for the last five years, because catastrophes do not recognize borders or customs," Shoigu said.
"This organization will consistently react, regardless of borders, to large-scale and serious emergencies," he said, adding that his ministry has already discussed establishing a center with colleagues from Germany, Italy, and France.
