Preserving Cyprus' cultural heritage for future generations

The Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage (TCCH) has completed the conservation works at the church of Agios Georgios and the church of Panagia Agia Napa both in the Turkish-occupied Famagusta area, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said on Friday.

This was marked by an event with the participation of the European Commission, UNDP, and TCCH.

A press release says that UNDP Cyprus, Head of Office Jakhongir Khaydarov, expressed his appreciation at the successful completion of these conservation works pointing out that it represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to preserving Cyprus' rich cultural heritage.

"These projects highlight the importance of safeguarding the shared heritage for future generations," he said.

Stefan Simosas, Head of Cooperation of the Cyprus Settlement Support of the European Commission highlighted that these sites "represent not just the multicultural richness of Cyprus, but also the importance of restoring and preserving monuments as a tool to foster peace-building and reconciliation."

Dr. Sotos Ktoris, TCCH Greek Cypriot co-chair, said that the churches of Agios Georgios and Panagia not only serve as physical testaments to our past but also as a source of inspiration for the present and the future.

Ktoris said that our cultural heritage is a bridge that connects us to our roots and serves as a platform for understanding, respect, and appreciation among Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.

Ali Tuncay, the TCCH Turkish Cypriot co-chair, said that many civilizations have passed through the island of Cyprus and live with us through our shared monuments and they are the richness of the island.

As members of the Technical Committee, he noted, we acknowledge the responsibility of preserving and sustaining this richness so it can be handed over to future generations and are proud to be able to promote cooperation between the Turkish and the Greek Cypriots through such a valuable endeavor.

Both the church of Agios Georgios and the church of Panagia Agia Napa are located in the Famagusta area. The church of Panagia Agia Napa inscription above the south entrance of the church dates the structure to 1890.

Since 2012, over 123 cultural heritage sites, island-wide have been conserved, structurally supported, physically protected, or restored by TCCH and UNDP with support from the European Union with total funding of €24.915 million.

The TCCH has received a total of €35.6 million invested by several donors to implement the priorities of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage for the preservation of the island-wide cultural heritage of Cyprus.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.