“The importance of cultural heritage is crucial, and therefore we need to safeguard the right of every generation to enjoy it,” stressed the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, during today’s online colloquium titled "Preserving the Future: New approaches to Heritage Management and Environmental Protection,” which was held in the context of the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and in collaboration with the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO.
Cultural heritage is a key factor in defining our identity, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted, and this is why we need to protect it. He stressed that protecting cultural heritage from climate change was a priority of the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, in a follow-up to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ initiative at the UN Summit Meeting on Climate Change in September 2019.
In his capacity as Chair of the Committee of Ministers, he added that “safeguarding cultural heritage is not just a matter of national policy, but requires synergies and collaboration, as well as respect for the principles of international law and agreements,” stressing that, in the context of the Council of Europe, he personally denounced the recent instrumentalisation of Hagia Sophia through the Turkish government's conversion of the site into a mosque.
“Both natural and cultural heritage must be respected and not treated as loot,” Mr. Varvitsiotis stressed. In closing, he stressed the successful culmination of the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in the signing of the Athens Declaration by 44 of the 47 CoE member states. The Athens Declaration contains clear provisions for the protection of future generations from health crises and environmental threats.
November 16, 2020