Issues concerning cultural heritage and the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Protection of Monuments were discussed at a meeting held Monday in Nicosia between Minister of Communication and Works Marios Demetriades and Minister of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia, Guran Odisharia, who is paying Cyprus a three-day official visit.
In statements at a joint press conference held after their meeting, the Cypriot Minister expressed the conviction that the exchange of expertise and information on the various ways and methods for the maintenance and restoration of monuments would be to the benefit of both sides.
Demetriades said that during their meeting they exchanged views on various bilateral issues, and discussed the prospects of deeper cooperation in the fields of their competency.
He also said that the Ministers will inaugurate tomorrow, Tuesday, the archaeological site of the Panayia Chrysogialiotissa Monastery at the village of Gialia, in Pafos, which was excavated by the archaeological mission of the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia, in collaboration with the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus, between the years 2006-2010.
“Cyprus and Georgia are linked with strong bonds of friendship and cooperation and I believe that there is considerable room for the strengthening and development of our relationship to the benefit of our countries and peoples”, Demetriades concluded.
In his statements, the Minister of Georgia said that through closer cooperation between the two Ministries, based on the Memorandum of Understanding on the Protection of Monuments, which the two states signed two months ago, there will be even more benefits for both countries.
He also referred to the inauguration of the Panayia Chrysogialiotissa Monastery, saying that it is a “symbol of the union of the two peoples”. He added that many people from Georgia will be coming to Cyprus to visit the site.
The Georgian Minister congratulated the people of Cyprus on their rich cultural heritage, and said that this heritage belongs to the whole world.
Concluding, he extended an invitation to his Cypriot counterpart to visit Georgia.
