JERUSALEM – After a big fire in an Athens northern neighborhood brought worries of a repeat of 2021 wildfires sweeping the country, a plan to deal with that likelihood has seen Greece make a civil protection agreement with Israel.

Greece has signed its first memorandum of understanding with Israel for promoting civil protection, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister, Christos Stylianides said before visiting there.

The memo was signed with Israeli Deputy Minister of Defense, Alon Schuster, in a meeting that also included the head of the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), Yoram Laredo, said Kathimerini.

Stylianides will also meet with Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev who is in charge of the Fire Brigade, and Environment Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg, to discuss strengthening cooperation between the fire fighting forces and plans to reduce the impact of climate change blamed for the fires.