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Management Plan for the Choirokoitia World Heritage Site presented at CyI Colloquium

The unprecedented turnout and the great interest of the public colloquium organized by The Cyprus Institute on the management of the prehistoric Choirokoitia site in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities, the French Institute and ICOMOS Cyprus, stresses the importance of protecting and promoting the archaeological sites in Cyprus.

3Speakers at the colloquium included Dr. Marina Solomidou - Ieronymidou, Deputy Director of the Department of Antiquities, Dr. Odile Daune-Le Brun, Director of the French Archaeological Mission in Choirokoitia and Dr. Nikolas Bakirtzis, Assistant Professor at the Science and Technology in Archaeology Research Center of The Cyprus Institute. Participating at the colloquium were also Mr. Jean-Pierre Mahoué, Cultural Attaché and Director of the French Institute of Cyprus and Mrs Athina Papadopoulou, President ICOMOS Cyprus.

The presentation focused on the UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site of Choirokoitia. The speakers presented aspects of the archaeological investigation of the site and how it contributed to the formulation of the Management Plan that was successfully submitted to UNESCO in 2012. This effort is part of a broader initiative to study and submit management plans for all the archaeological sites and monuments in Cyprus included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Reference was also made to the devastating fires in the summer of 2013 in the surroundings of the archaeological site and the contemporary village of Choirokoitia, emphasizing the need for detailed planning for the protection of the natural and urban environment surrounding archaeological sites.

The lecture was attended by the Honorable Minister of Communications and Works, Mr. Tasos Mitsopoulos. Also present were the High Commissioner of Australia,  Mr. Trevor Peacock, the Ambassador of Portugal,  Mr. Joao Perestrello, prominent members of the archaeological and scientific community and other honored guests.

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