Türkiye, Greece unite search and rescue forces
In a significant step toward cross-border disaster preparedness, Greece’s elite search and rescue organization EPOMEA is strengthening ties with Turkish counterparts. On May 27, EPOMEA Thessaloniki President Miltos Benakis and Rhodope Founding President Sibel Mustafaoğlu visited the Governor of Edirne, Yunus Sezer. The meeting was also attended by Edirne Provincial Director of AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority), Elvan Kaya.
The discussions focused on signing a cooperation protocol between Edirne and Thessaloniki, aimed at launching joint drills, training programs, accreditation efforts, and emergency response operations.
During their visit, the EPOMEA delegation also met with Turkish Foreign Ministry Representative in Edirne, Ambassador Murat Ahmet Yörük, and the Greek Consul General in Edirne, Aris Radiopulos. Later, a joint meeting was held at the AFAD Provincial Directorate between AFAD and EPOMEA teams.
Amid the rising threat of natural disasters due to the climate crisis, Türkiye and Greece have emerged as early responders for each other in recent years. Both countries are now accelerating efforts to formalize and institutionalize this solidarity through an official cooperation agreement. Türkiye’s experience and capabilities through AFAD will be shared with the Greek side.
Looking ahead, the two nations aim to establish a formal search and rescue collaboration network across the Balkans. The founding of the EPOMEA Rhodope Branch following last year’s devastating wildfires in Rhodope and Alexandroupoli is expected to increase the number of professionally trained volunteers and address critical regional needs.
