Armenian PM thanks Russia for assistance in firefighting in Khosrov Forest (VIDEO)

YEREVAN (Sputnik) – “I express gratitude to our Russian partners, in particular the head of the Russian government for the provision of special equipment, and I am grateful for the work done by Russian pilots and rescuers,” Karapetyan wrote on Facebook late on Wednesday.

According to Karapetyan, not a single country is immune from emergencies, and there are cases when even the most powerful states are unable to fight against natural disasters only on their own.

“Naturally, this does not mean that we have no problems and we will not draw the appropriate conclusions. The situation will be studied in detail and everything is done to exclude such disasters,” Karapetyan said.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia said Armenian and Russian rescuers managed to extinguish the main fires in the Khosrov Forest. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Emergencies reported that its Il-76 aircraft equipped with spray tanks flew to Yerevan at the request of the Armenian government and localized strong fires in the territory of the Khosrov Forest, dropping 450 metric tons of water in two days.

The Khosrov Forest was founded in the 4th century AD by Armenian King Khosrov III of the Arsacid dynasty. In 1958, a state reserve was established on the site with an area of ​​more than 29,000 hectares (71,660 acres). It is rich in flora and fauna, hosts about 1,800 plant species, 24 of them are endemic (species of plants and animals that have relatively small range), and 80 are included in the Red Book of Armenia.

Here is a short clip of the Russian IL-76 fighting the forest fires in Armenia: