Flood relief and clean-up aid from abroad continues to arrive

Many countries have offered aid to Slovenia following the devastating floods last weekend, including Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Germany, Montenegro, Serbia, Greece, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Portugal, the Netherlands, Israel, Great Britain, Malta, the US and Armenia.

Countries are responding in bilateral fashion, as well via various joint assistance mechanism, such as the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism and its Emergency Response Coordination Centre, or NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre.

Proving very valuable is helicopter assistance, which has for instance come from Croatia, Spain and Germany.

Relief units were moreover joined today by a 14-member team from France, including with two 15-tonne excavators and technical support.

Slovakia also announced it was sending four tracked excavators with six operators to Slovenia. Teams from the US European Command and the US Agency for International Aid are on the ground as well.

As the aid mechanisms were launched, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon expressed gratitude on behalf of the government and the people of Slovenia to everybody deciding to provide assistance.

She also asked for additional EU assistance in the form of heavy machinery, river cleaning vehicles and prefabricated bridges. As for NATO, Fajon requested heavy military helicopters, personnel and prefabricated military bridges, the Government Communication Office said.