Press releases, 19.07.2017

Fires have been raging in Montenegro for several days, devastating a number of areas. The scale of the situation has led the country's authorities to ask for international assistance. Today, Switzerland is dispatching a Swiss army helicopter from the KFOR base in Kosovo and a humanitarian team from Bern.

Switzerland is dispatching a Swiss army helicopter  and a humanitarian team.
Switzerland is dispatching a Swiss army helicopter and a humanitarian team.

Montenegro, along with other European countries, is currently experiencing large-scale wildfires. Dozens of hectares of forest have been destroyed and hundreds of residents in the towns of Herceg Novi, Tivat and Kotor have had to be evacuated. The country's authorities have used all the means at their disposal to bring the flames under control.

In response to the call for international assistance from the Montenegrin authorities, Switzerland has decided to deploy a Swiss army Super Puma helicopter chartered to KFOR from Kosovo. Equipped for firefighting, the aircraft is preparing to join the operations under way in several parts of Montenegro. 

At the same time, a rapid response team from the SDC's Swiss Humanitarian Aid Department is travelling to the region this afternoon. Accompanied by specialists from the Swiss Armed Forces, this detachment will coordinate Switzerland's actions with the Montenegrin authorities and support the crew of the Super Puma in its operations.


Address for enquiries:

Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: +41 58 462 31 53
Fax: +41 58 464 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch


Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Last update 19.07.2023

  • FDFA Communication answers media queries Mondays to Fridays during office hours and operates a weekend emergency on-call service.

Contact

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West
3003 Bern

Phone (for journalists only):
+41 58 460 55 55

Phone (for all other requests):
+41 58 462 31 53

Start of page