(Montreal) Canada formalized the sale of seven air tankers to fight forest fires to Greece on Sunday morning, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met to Montreal.
Mr. Trudeau noted that it has been 41 years since a Greek prime minister came to Canada. “It took the friendship between my father and Prime Minister Papandreou to do it four decades ago,” he said.
“Now it is our friendship that brings this visit. The friendship is so deep between Canada and Greece, we are working on major updates,” he continued.
Canada has some 270,000 citizens of Greek origin, and Montreal’s Greek community celebrates Greek Independence Day on Sunday.
Mr. Mitsotakis said it was an honor to visit Canada and “to spend this important day with (his) friend Mr. Trudeau, but also the Greek diaspora and the Canadian community to celebrate (their) Independence Day “.
After their meeting, the two leaders participated in a signing ceremony to formalize the agreement on the sale of seven DHC-515 aircraft, commonly known as Canadair.
The contract amount for the air tankers has not yet been disclosed.
Kim Douglas, vice-president, business development and marketing for Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), signed the document on behalf of Canada. The signatory for Greece was Nikos Papathanasis, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance.
The seven new air tankers from Canadian aircraft manufacturer Havilland Canada represent a new generation of aircraft dedicated to emergency response and the protection of the environment, natural resources and communities, said Sébastien Carrière, chief of the Canadian Protocol.
He added that these planes represent an investment in public safety and environmental conservation. They also promote economic growth and job creation in Canada’s aerospace sector.
Greece is one of the European Union countries that has been particularly affected by forest fires. Last year, the European Commission said a fire in Greece was the largest fire ever recorded in the European Union. The 2023 toll was hundreds of thousands of hectares burned in Greece.
A joint statement from Prime Ministers Trudeau and Mitsotakis on the air tanker contract is expected tomorrow. Mr. Mitsotakis will be in Toronto on Monday.