The President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropou, referred to the constant request of Greece for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, but also to the consequences that the conversion of the Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of Chora in Constantinople into ecumenical character of these two monuments during her greeting on Thursday at the Symposium organized by the “Marianna V. Vardinoyannis” Foundation at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
Mrs. Sakellaropoulou referred to the particularly important mission of the Intergovernmental Commission of UNESCO, in which our country also participates, for the Return of Cultural Property to their Countries of Origin or their Restoration in case of Illegal Appropriation. As he noted, “Greece’s constant request for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures is pending and we hope that at some point it will be possible for the Commission to mediate in resolving this important issue.”
At the same time, he stressed that “A key issue, for which UNESCO has been strongly interested, is that of the conversion of Hagia Sophia and the Monastery of Chora in Istanbul into mosques.” He also recalled that “both a statement by its Director General, Audrey Azoulay, and a decision of the World Heritage Committee during its 44th Session, expressed concern about the impact that these changes will have on the ecumenical character of the two monuments. , despite repeated calls to Turkey to comply with the Agency’s guidelines. It also became clear that the status of the monument as a museum serves deeper needs and values and for this reason should not be changed “.
Analyzing the theme of the Symposium, “Greece and cultural heritage”, he pointed out that “it is fundamental, primarily for the Greeks, but also for Europe itself” and added that “the ecumenical legacy of ancient Greek culture, its ideals and values, as well as the preservation and protection of this cultural heritage, constitute aspects of modern Greekness “. In particular, he noted that “the Revolution of 1821 and the awakening of our national consciousness owe much to the ideological and symbolic power of ancient Greece, to the worship of antiquities by the Greeks and Philhellenes of the time, to the virtue and freedom taught to us by ancient ancestors us. As Makrygiannis brilliantly states in his “Memoirs”, “we fought for them”.
Speaking about classical antiquity, he underlined that it traces the origins of European culture and its intellectual horizons in the field of aesthetics, philosophy, art, human knowledge and experience. “Greece’s special relationship with its past, seen many times through foreign mirrors, has decisively shaped the historical path of Hellenism and its reception, inside and outside the borders,” he added.
In addition, he stressed the crucial role of UNESCO, which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. “Greece, as a founding member, has supported and continues to support the work of the world’s most important organization for the promotion of culture and cultural heritage and the strengthening, through them, of ties between nations,” he said.
Regarding the promotion and preservation of our cultural heritage, he stressed that “it is not just a projection of Hellenism in the past, nor is it exhausted in the recording and preservation of historical memory. It is urgent, for the present and the future, and has a dual character: pedagogical, as it penetrates the modern Greek way of life, and developmental, in the form of new possibilities for the economy and society “.
He also stressed that “The utilization of cultural capital must be integrated into public policies with a human-centered and holistic character, in order to meet the challenges of sustainable development. Our action to protect monuments from the effects of climate change, to which they are becoming increasingly vulnerable, must also be immediate and effective, both at the level of institutions and in informing and educating citizens, especially the younger generations. . The connection of the cultural with the climatic identity is a critical precondition for the consolidation of the modern political and ecological consciousness “.
In this context, he thanked the President of the Marianna Vardinoyannis Foundation for her timeless and great contribution, both as a Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and the Foundation, in the promotion of culture and the protection of cultural heritage and welcomed the participants with of the academic community at the banquet.
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