Press Releases

It is an immense honor for me to be here and attest to the inauguration of this exhibition, the best, if I may say so, testimony to Cyprus’ history, along with its civilization and cultural achievements.

At the same time, it is also my duty to express my profound appreciation to Minister Varga, who was kind enough to accept our invitation and inaugurate the exhibition.

It has been said, quite frequently, that the best ambassadors of a country anywhere in the world are its people. Should I twist this argument a bit, I dare say that the previous observation applies first and foremost to the country’s history. I have been in Budapest as the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus for two years and trust me, I realize the force of what I have just said. Anywhere you go in Hungary, any place one visits, history is there, inviting us to explore and discover its past, challenging and provoking us to learn, to discover and to seek more.

My country is not, and cannot possibly be an exception to this. 10,000 years of recorded history provide ample proof of that. Moreover, as the title suggests, our cultural and historical achievements left humanity with a heritage we can be proud of. The most famous museums of the world, be in Munich, the Louvre and the Metropolitan in New York, to name a few, provide irrefutable evidence of such a heritage. Above all, they convey, convincingly so, a clear and unambiguous message: the intermingling of history with myth and religion throughout the ages. For centuries now, this has been an established trademark of the island, the peaceful coexistence, in other words, of the three elements, without one prevailing at the expense of the other.

History teaches and educates us of Cyprus’ genesis and its path, sometimes turbulent, at other times less so. Myth gives an additional dimension, for it is an indispensable combination of legion and reality. This is especially the case with Godess Aphrodite, whose existence became synonymous with the island. Religion demonstrates its presence with the country’s evolution and its artistic accomplishments, be in frescoes or mosaics or religious paintings. The exhibition provides a wonderful opportunity to appreciate these three elements and more. Not surprisingly, what I have just described are discernible all over Cyprus, one more reason for everybody to search and discover them.

Personally, I take immense pride in all these characteristics, for they define our existence and reason of being. Always of course in the positive and the good sense, lest I am misunderstood. Above all, I urge everybody to accompany me in this journey  of search and discovery, an adventure in education, an enterprise in learning, a desire to satisfy curiosity and carry our knowledge much further, to establish beyond doubt that indeed  Cyprus  has made its contribution to this world, size notwithstanding.

I thank you all.

(EK)