What it foresees and what the representatives of the involved bodies stated • The decision of the Minister of Culture Linas Mendoni is of historical importance
The new Cultural Development program contract for the Protection and Promotion of the Medieval City of Rhodes is a fact. It was signed yesterday in the Etiquette Room of the City Hall by the Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni, the president of ODAP Nikoleta Divari-Valakou, the regional governor of N. Aegean, Giorgos Hatzimarkos and the mayor of Rhodes, Antonis Kambourakis.
This is a historic moment for the island, 39 years after the signing of the first planning contract for the M. City of Rhodes which bears the signature and the seal of the late Melina Merkouris. This is certainly a significant success and a unique example of exemplary cooperation between the central administration and the Local Government for the planning and implementation of a program with a total budget of 63,576,244.30 euros that will highlight the M. City of Rhodes, the unique medieval residential whole, which is preserved almost intact and is a point of reference, both for the visitors of the island and for the locals.
The mayor Mr. Antonis Kambourakis expressed his thanks for the cooperation to the minister, the regional governor and his colleagues. He emphasized that the new Programming Convention respects the past, but is oriented towards the future. He pointed out that step by step and with proper coordination all the goals included in the program will be achieved over the course of the next decade.
“The new Cultural Development Program Agreement for the Protection and Promotion of our Medieval City that was signed today between the Ministry of Culture & Sports, the Municipality of Rhodes, the Region of N. Aegean and ODAP, gives life to what is being done and what needs to be done in the near future. It is a Programmatic Convention which respects the past, moves in the present and is oriented towards the future.
We express our joy and pride for the great work that has been done with seriousness and vision. Rhodes, our Municipality and all citizens have a lot to gain. It is enough to believe in the dream we have to conquer and the goals we have to achieve. We dedicate the new Programming Agreement to the Rhodian people, to the permanent residents of the Medieval City and to its visitors,” said Mr. Kambourakis.
George Hatzimarkos
“Today is an excellent opportunity to declare with actions once again that faith in the road that gives optimism, solutions, answers and above all in the road that gives perspective to a place and its people, that respects history and the future as it takes shape in the global village, leads to the desired result”, said Mr. Hatzimarkos and added that:
“I see a wave coming to challenge the flow of life itself. And this is decadence, it is the very characteristic of bad temper and mischief… Today, very important forces, political, scientific, social, are united under a common purpose. This is the year in which we take a stand with our attitude and operation. We come naked before history and society to prove what everyone represents and serves in practice.
I thank Minister Lina Mendoni for so many projects on our islands. And I don’t know if all this would have happened if the Ministry of Urbanization was not led by a man who inspires and works for what he serves. I am happy to work together with Lina Mendoni”.
Lina Mendoni
The plan for the M. City of Rhodes, as mentioned by the minister, L. Mendoni, summarizes the philosophy of all the contracting parties and the government for sustainable development on the islands, Culture and for the role that monuments can play in improving quality of life. In more detail, he stated the following: “Such decisions as this plan we made for the M. City of Rhodes require collective work. I thank my colleagues at the Ministry of Culture and my office. However, we would not have reached this result if it were not for the excellent cooperation with the local bodies, the Region of N. Agia and the Municipality of Rhodes.
This result summarizes the philosophy of all of us about the Greece we want, how the government and the prime minister mean sustainable development in an area that has been blessed by God to have all these comparative advantages… It is impossible to imagine Greece without our islands, Rhodes, Syros, Kos, Kalymnos, Lemnos which make up the unique physiognomy of our country and which gather 30% of the cultural stock of the Mediterranean. We cannot fail to render what we owe to our homeland and islands. We owe our culture and monuments to the next generations, at least in the condition we received them. This is our minimum obligation in the context of sustainable development. But those of us sitting at this table want to give something more… Officials, the political leadership of the municipality and the region, we want to unravel culture and combine it with modern life, for monuments to be part of our everyday life because that’s the only way they become part of what we call quality of life.”
Ms. Mendoni commented on the claims of some that there was no prior consultation on the design of the Programming Agreement. He said that the plan was elaborated by all the competent (archaeological) services and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was coordinating the consultations and continuous consultations with all the parties involved in order to achieve the final result. The minister thanked the regional governor, the mayor, the officials of the municipal authority for the cooperation.
The president of ODAP, Nicoleta Divari-Valakou, noted that an important process was preceded and that the programming contract is based on a specific schedule and budget that guarantees that all projects will be done within the schedule. The competent deputy mayor of Cultural Monuments and Construction Service, Stefanos Drakos, thanked the minister and all those involved in the design of the new program contract for the collaboration. He proposed to declare Ms. Mendoni an honorary citizen of Rhodes.
The MP Manos Konsolas expressed his enthusiasm by noting that: “Today is a very important day for Rhodes and I want to express my gratitude to everyone who worked for this result. The needs and all issues related to the cultural stock of our islands resonate with the Ministry and the Government. The expectation and intention expressed in November 2020 for the first time to sign the new planning contract for the Medieval City of Rhodes, today became a reality expressing the will of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Culture, the Regional Governor and the Mayor, that we all move forward to do what our country needs”.
“The new Programming Agreement for the Medieval City reflects the good cooperation between the Ministry, the Region and the Municipality. For the first time in history, Rhodes and its Monuments are getting the money they are entitled to and deserve”, commented the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Education, Stratos Karikis.
It is noted that during the signing of the Program Agreement, the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni was accompanied by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture, Giorgos Didaskalou, the President of ODAP, Nicoleta Valakou, and the head of DBMA, Iulia Papageorgiou. The head of EFA Dodecanese Maria Michailidou, the head of the Dodecanese New Monuments Service Giorgos Dellas and Ms. Katerina Manousou-Della also participated. At the end of the signing of the Program Agreement, the ND parliamentary candidate, Litsa Ftaklakis, was present.
In summary, the Cultural Development Program Convention for the Medieval City of Rhodes provides the following:
a) the continuous, uninterrupted and friendly cooperation of the contracting parties with the parallel development of a strong and unbreakable partnership between them,
b) defining a common, unified, coherent action framework,
c) defining and determining the means, methods and procedures for the implementation of what is described therein,
d) the allocation of specific and prescribed financial resources that ensure the execution of Studies, Projects, Actions, Services, etc.,
e) the maintenance, protection and promotion of the UNESCO World Heritage monument and
g) the utilization of modern technologies and innovative development.
The seven important projects of the Programming Agreement are as follows:
1. Free electricity from RES to the permanent residents of the Medieval City.
2. Utilization of the properties managed by ODAP in the Medieval City.
3. Restoration, modernization and reopening of Municipal Baths of a Medieval City.
4. Restoration of the building housing the Health Center in the Medieval City and modernization/creation of a modern health structure.
5. Creation of a Medieval City Police Station.
6. Underground water supply, drainage and lighting networks of a Medieval City.
7. Employment of personnel of the contracting parties and concession of the use of facilities, machinery and means.