An agreement was signed between the Municipality of Nicosia and Europa Nostra for the creation of a hub of Europa Nostra in Nicosia, which will aim to highlight cultural heritage. The agreement, in which the University of Cyprus, the Cyprus Institute and the Leventis Foundation participate, was signed on Thursday at Nicosia City Hall. The Secretary General of Europa Nostra, Sneska Mihailovic, first announced the agreement on Wednesday, at a ceremony, in Nicosia, of the Europa Nostra 2023 prize, awarded to Cypriot printmaker Hambis Tsangaris. In his address, on Thursday, the Mayor of Nicosia, Constantinos Yiorkadjis, said that Nicosia is the fourth city to create a Europa Nostra hub after Athens, Venice and Krakow. “This collaboration honours us especially because it gives a more active role in the protection of our cultural heritage and also in Nicosia itself”, he noted. The Vice-President of Europa Nostra, Androulla Vassiliou, expressed her joy because “a dream that started 2 years ago is coming true”. Furthermore, Vassiliou clarified that the participation of other organisations and bodies “who want to contribute to this noble effort to include Cyprus on the map of European culture” is not excluded. On her part, the Secretary General of Europa Nostra, Sneska Mihailovic, expressed pride in her contribution to the establishment of the cultural hub of Europa Nostra in Nicosia. She noted that the presence of local authorities, civil society and eminent academic and research institutions joining forces sends a strong message. In addition, she expressed a desire for the hub to build bridges with the wider Eastern Mediterranean region and the Middle East. She also referred to the added value of Cyprus which, as she said, has built strong relations with these regions for millennia in various ways. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Institute, Stavros Malas, spoke of “an effort to create synergies so that as a country we can have a better presence at the research level and also in our contribution to culture.” “In a period of cultural degeneration, it is the duty of all of us to come together and cooperate to highlight the enormous wealth of Cyprus and the region, especially the intangible cultural heritage”, indicated Malas, noting that “without culture our country and the region will not be able to survive in the future.” The Rector of the University of Cyprus, Tasos Christofides, stated that the University of Cyprus would definitely respond to this invitation to create this hub of culture because, as he said, “in addition to being a research and educational organisation, it is a carrier of culture and places great importance on matters concerning the culture of the country.” On her part, the representative of the Leventis Foundation, Agni Petridou, pointed out that “the idea of hubs, in addition to decentralisation, also gives a new dimension to cultural heritage, mixing it with the other sectors of sustainable development, such as the protection of the environment, social inclusion, etc.” The President of the Cultural Committee of the Municipality of Nicosia, Leoni Orphanidou, expressed her enthusiasm for the project, pointing out that “culture has no borders”.
Source: Cyprus News Agency