Deputy Minister of Culture Dr Vassiliki Kassianidou has attended in Greece the celebrations for the inscription of Zagori on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The celebrations took place in Vitsa, in the Epirus region, on Saturday in the presence of the Greek Prime Minister, the President of the Hellenic Parliament and many other state and local officials.
According to a press release by the Deputy Ministry, present at the celebration events were also the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, Lazare Eloundou, and the Director of its Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Boris Erg.
Kassianidou, who was there at the invitation of Greek Minister of Culture Dr. Lina Mendoni, welcomed Greece’s great success and congratulated her counterpart and the entire team of the Ministry of Culture, the Permanent Mission of Greece to UNESCO the Region of Epirus and the Municipality of Zagori, who, as she said, have managed to register the Cultural Landscape of Zagori in the UNESCO World Heritage List. S
he noted that the fact that, for the first time, a cultural landscape of Greece is registered in this List is of great importance, as it highlights “the importance of the latest cultural heritage in the formation of Greek Culture, alongside the ancient one”.
Moreover, the Deputy Minister noted that through the recognition of UNESCO, of the outstanding and universal value of the traditional architecture of Zagorochoria, as a unique example of survival and preservation of Byzantine and Ottoman elements, the criteria are set to ensure the protection of the authenticity and integrity of this most important cultural landscape.
She also said that this recognition will contribute to a sustainable development, based on the global values of the tangible and intangible heritage that Zagori has preserved over the centuries.
The press release says that the presence of a representative of the Cypriot Government at such an important ceremony confirms the close historical, fraternal ties of Cyprus with Greece and Greek C
ulture, and is the result of the fruitful discussions that the Deputy Minister has had with the Minister of Culture of Greece in the context of the High-Level Cooperation Council Cyprus – Greece. The Council, it adds, has agreed that they will encourage actions and initiatives related to collaborations within the institutional framework of the European Union, the Council of Europe, the UNESCO and other international organisations.
Source: Cyprus News Agency