Preserving the memory of Turkish-occupied territories is an obligation of the Government, said Deputy Minister of Culture, Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou, in her address at the 20th annual Economist Conference, on Friday in Nicosia.
“Preserving the memory of our occupied territories is a supreme act of national responsibility and obligation of the Government and of each of us individually,” she pointed out, adding that “although the Deputy Ministry of Culture was only established in 2022, the individual Departments of which it is composed, namely the Department of Antiquities, the Department of Contemporary Culture, the former Cultural Services, and the Cyprus Handicraft Service, have over time contributed in their own way to preserving the memory of our occupied territories as well as our intangible and tangible cultural heritage.”
After speaking about the activities organized this year by the Deputy Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Kassianidou emphasized that “perhaps the most important and crucial action of the Department of Antiquities over time is the effort it exerts for the repatriation of archaeological and ecclesiastical objects that were looted and illegally trafficked as a result of the 1974 invasion.”
“In parallel and at the same time, the Department collaborates with the Bicommunal Committee for Cultural Heritage, which has undertaken the difficult task of restoring mainly religious monuments in the Turkish-occupied territories,” she added.
Furthermore, she noted that the Deputy Ministry of Culture supports the actions of the Cyprus Handicraft Service, which aim to transmit traditional handicraft techniques to the next generation, through educational programmes. “The Service provided shelter to many traditional craftsmen after the invasion and contributed greatly to the recording of their art,” she said.
Subsequently, Kassianidou referred to the role of the Cyprus National Commission for UNESCO, which collaborates with communities and institutions for the registration of elements of the intangible cultural heritage of Cyprus in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and in the international Representative List for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. She noted that many of these elements are linked to Turkish-occupied villages and communities of Cyprus.
“Books, poems, musical compositions, songs, paintings and all the monuments that have been erected in the last fifty years, all together contribute to the preservation of memory,” the Deputy Minister of Culture underlined. “They also contribute to providing comfort and healing the wounds and help to reconcile and connect all Cypriots through artistic creation and a common cultural identity,” she pointed out.
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Source: CNA/PH/AGK
