A “brake” was put in the Parliament for the financing of studies for the upgrade and expansion of the building that houses the National Archaeological Museum”.

On the principle of the bill, ND, PASOK-Movement of Change and KO Spartans voted “yes”, SYRIZA-PS and Hellenic Solution declared “absent”, while KKE, New Left, KO Niki and Freedom Sailing.

Placement of the Minister of Culture in the Parliament on the matter of the Monastery of the Country

The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni mentioned the issue of the Chora Monastery in Constantinople and its conversion into a mosque. As he said, the Greek government’s communications are continuous, noting -among other things- that there was an update from it, to the general director of UNESCO, but also an update from the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, N. Dendias, to his counterparts. “Because of the Greek diplomacy, the matter was discussed at the UNESCO general conference in Riyadh, in September 2023,” said Ms. Mendoni, noting that expert committees have already been sent to Turkey, which have submitted their views, and are in consultation and awaiting answers. by the Turkish authorities, while “a new mission is imminent” said the Minister of Culture.

As for her recent meeting with her Turkish counterpart in Istanbul, she said that “apparently the subject of both Hagia Sophia and the Chora Monastery was raised and our concern about what is happening and whether there is any damage to the monuments [..] You know, it is not always good in such matters to publicize them and make the discussions fly-by-night. Rather, they are doing harm,” said Ms. Mendoni, commenting on relevant opposition reports. She even called on certain sides not to create an emotional charge in the world. “I heard the word ‘Holy Monastery of the Country.’ The Holy Monastery has ceased to exist since the Fall of Constantinople. It is a Byzantine monument. Any theological and religious type ceremony of Christianity stopped with the ‘Alozia’. The same applies to Hagia Sophia. Therefore, let’s not create an emotional charge, neither about the Holy Monastery, nor that Christian churches suddenly turned into mosques. What happened is the following: Immediately after the fall, these monuments are turned into mosques. In 1934, with the decree of Kemal Atatürk, they are attributed as cultural sites and as museum sites, according to the institutional framework of Turkey. That changed under Erdogan. Obviously, it changed badly, and that’s why Greece constantly reacts to this issue,” said Ms. Mendoni.

Debate in Parliament on the Latsis donation – The positions of the parties

Referring to the bill, Ms. Mendoni said that “we are coming to accept an amount of up to 40 million generously offered by Spyros and Dorothy Latsis for this particular project.” He even noted that these 40 million can be saved from the regular budget or the public investment program of national resources and given to cover other needs of the Greek people. “That’s why we are in favor of sponsors. And that is why we are in favor of partnerships between the public and the private sector,” said Ms. Mendoni.

Responding to the criticism that Greek architects were “excluded” from the relevant competition, he pointed out that the relevant ministerial decision expressly provided that the partnership of foreign and Greek offices was a mandatory condition for participation and if this partnership did not exist, the offer was excluded.

The SYRIZA-PS rapporteur, K. Malama, criticized the leadership of the Ministry of Culture for managerial incompetence, lack of political responsibility, and inability to understand cultural diplomacy, criticizing Ms. Mendoni for not saying a word about the conversion of the world monuments of Hagia Sophia and Monastery of Chora in mosques.

The tourist season for our country has already started and our emblematic museums are in “hibernation”, said PASOK-Movement for Change Naya Grihorakou, who pointed out that the 5 major museums “did not manage to operate with the extended summer hours, because they have not yet hired the necessary security and cleaning staff.”

The buyer of the KKE, Io. Delis, said that the Latsis group is donating the amount of 40 million euros, but, with the decisions of ND and SYRIZA, it acquired the 6,000 acres of the former airport of Ellinikos almost for free, just as it almost bought Hellenic Petroleum which in just one year brought him a profit of hundreds of millions.

The interventions that are going to be carried out, as a result of the donation we are discussing today, and of course the feasibility study and the procedures should be transparent and there should be the possibility of consultation in an institutional or even a scientific context, said the buyer of Hellenic Solution X. Asimakopoulou.

The donors should perhaps have understood if what they are currently funding is wrong, it is wrong for the city, it is wrong for the archeological museum and it is condemned by the international architectural community.

For the wrong solution, which was chosen through illegal procedures, and for a monument to the arbitrariness of the Mitsotakis environment in the extension of the Archaeological Museum to Patision Street, the buyer of the New Left, Th. Fotiou, spoke.

The buyer of KO Niki, Sp. Tsironis said that there were strong reactions from the Greek architectural community, the Greek section of the International Council of Monuments and Sites and “as a closed type competition was chosen, which excluded the equal participation of Greek architectural offices”.

The President of KO Spartans V. Stigas said that he is voting yes to the ratification of the contract for the Latsis donation as it is “the work of a philanthropist, who does what he can to help the country”.

Finally, the head of Freedom of Navigation Z. Konstantopoulou said that a donation that strengthens culture is welcome, however it is inconceivable that the national policy for culture and the budget of the ministry of culture should depend on the pleasure of any family, (and) it is not conceivable to offer this remission of historical events and historical record in return. “We do not consent to such actions,” said Ms. Konstantopoulou.