The Cyprus Forest Department received a total of six unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Friday, two of which were donated by Exness Global Limited and the remaining four as part of a contract with the Cyprus Institute.

The handover of these drones took place during an event at the Central Offices of the Forest Region of Nicosia, Larnaca, and Famagusta (Athalassa), as announced by the Forest Department.

The donation from Exness Global Limited was made as part of a memorandum of understanding with the Cyprus Institute (IKy), aimed at benefiting the Forest Department in protecting forests and the natural environment from forest fires.

Furthermore, the Forest Department received four additional UAVs from the Cyprus Institute, fulfilling the terms of an existing contract.

The event was attended by the Director of the Forest Department, representatives from Exness Global Limited, and representatives from the Cyprus Institute.

In his address at the event, the Forest Department Director, Charalambos Alexandrou, expressed gratitude to Exness Global Limited and the Cyprus Institute, praising the collaboration between the Forest Department, sponsors, and research centers for modern technology needs.

"The benefits of these partnerships are manifold, including securing funding for Cypriot research centers for applied products and ensuring continuous support for these products," he said.

He also mentioned that the use of UAV technology in managing forest fires would be an additional measure in both preventing fires through aerial patrols to detect fires or arsonists, and in extinguishing fires, primarily through transmitting early-stage fire images and identifying active fire spots, as well as mapping the area.

Maria Christophidou, a representative from Exness Global Limited, noted in her address that this donation continues the company's support and will contribute to both the prevention and extinguishing of fires through state-of-the-art methods. She also mentioned that the technology developed by the Cyprus Institute is tailored to Cypriot terrain and will benefit the protection of natural ecosystems nationwide. Additionally, she added that beyond the equipment donation, Exness would cover the cost of three pilots to operate the drones for a two-year period.

Professor Jean Sciare of the Cyprus Institute, in his greeting, thanked the Forest Department and Exness Global Limited, noting that the Institute employs new technologies in developing and preparing these advanced UAVs, which will greatly contribute to both fire prevention and firefighting efforts.