Slovenia has deployed two helicopters to North Macedonia for rescue assistance as the country is fighting a number of wildfires. The helicopters will stay in the country for five days.

The government decided the previous evening to send two crewed helicopters to North Macedonia on 16 July after the country requested aid through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

According to the Macedonian crisis centre, the country has had 173 major wildfires since the start of July.

Slovenia has deployed an AS 532 AL Cougar army helicopter and an AgustaWestland AW169 police helicopter for five days.

As the aid is provided through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the European Commission will subsidise 75% of the transport costs. The total cost of the deployment is €400,000, the Government Communication Office said.

The two countries have often helped each other cope with natural disasters. North Macedonia deployed troops to Slovenia to help it deal with the destructive floods in August 2023 and two rotations of some 50 Slovenian firefighters helped North Macedonia combat wildfires in the summer of 2021.