PM Mitsotakis: 'Our vision for Greek culture is nothing short of revolutionary'

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday visited the Culture Ministry and met with Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and Deputy Minister of Sports Lefteris Avgenakis.

"We consider the Culture Minister not just a trustee of our heritage but a development ministry as well," said Mitsotakis, adding that the "connection of culture with sports and tourism is a major initiative of this government."

The premier underlined that "Greek culture, classical and modern, is the face of Greece," adding that "our vision for culture is nothing short of revolutionary." As he explained, "I dare use this word to mark how ambitious our plans are to promote our classical heritage in a different way, and to use modern culture to promote Greece's new image abroad."

Mitsotakis discussed with the ministry's authorities a series of iconic projects, starting from the National Archaeological Museum project which as he said will become a reference point in the Greek capital. He also spoke of exploiting to the utmost degree what Greek museums and the Archaeological Resources Fund have to offer, in order to increase revenues from archaeological sites. "Unfortunately, revenues from archaeological sites are extremely low," he noted.

On her part, Minister Lina Mendoni said that she and the Deputy Minister of Sports briefed the prime minister on all the high-priority issues in the sector of culture and sports. "We want culture to convey a message of a different Greece, a future Greece, the way we envision it: a dynamic Greece with investments, and an image which Greek citizens really deserve," Mendoni said. She said that ministry's priorities include improving services offered at archaeological sites and museums and promoting modern artistic creation.

"Our goal is to show that Greece can have museums of high international standards, and that archaeological sites provide recreation in the ancient Greek sense of educating the public," she noted. "The prime minister has given us directions, but especially he offered solutions on how to manage existing problems as rapidly as possible" in order for the vision to become a reality, she added.