The cultural crime on the ancient site in Yeroskipou Municipality is being completed

 

14 June 2023, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The decision by the Town Planning Department to issue a permit for the construction of a high-rise hotel by the Archdiocese in the coastal area “Pachyammos” of Yeroskipou Municipality completes the crime against our cultural heritage. Unfortunately, the decision taken by the Anastasiades government in 2017, as a result of its transaction with the Archbishopric, to remove this piece of land from the list of B Ancient Monuments – for the first time in the history of the Republic of Cyprus – opened the Pandora’s box and led to the current tragic outcome. The transaction and the non-transparent procedures pursued confirms by the fact that the decision was taken as a result of bypassing the Municipality of Yeroskipou itself.

AKEL, once again, stresses that it does not accept any selling off of Cyprus’ antiquities and cultural heritage, nor does it accept any preferential treatment in favour of economic interests of anyone. It is clear from the Provision of the “Antiquities Law” that “all antiquities on any land are the property of the state”.

The official position of the Department of Antiquities that “the discovered findings belong to a large sanctuary complex of the Hellenistic period of unique importance for Cyprus” makes it imperative that the Christodoulides government proceed with the revocation of the decision to restore this ancient site to the list B of ancient monuments.