Greece and Pakistan to Strengthen Cultural Cooperation

The Ambassador of Pakistan to Greece Muhammad Aamar Aftab Qureshi with Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni. Photo source: Culture Ministry.

Greece and Pakistan have agreed to strengthen their cultural cooperation, the Greek Culture Ministry recently announced.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and the Ambassador of Pakistan to Greece Muhammad Aamar Aftab Qureshi in Athens.

During the meeting, a number of ways to promote cultural exchange between the two countries was discussed, including:

• The establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Greece and Pakistan covering all bilateral cultural cooperation activities.
• The exchange of visits between representatives of the Khalas community in Pakistan and Greek counterparts. The Khalas community is an ancient Hindu and Muslim community that has preserved customs and traditions related to ancient Macedonia.

Members of the Kalash community.

• The launch of a scholarship in the name of Konstantinos Doxiadis, the Greek architect who designed the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad.
• Cooperation between the two countries museums, the exchange of exhibitions, and the participation of Greek experts in excavations in Pakistan.
• Cooperation in the field of contemporary audiovisual production.

Mendoni thanked the Ambassador for Pakistan’s support for the Greek request for the return of the Parthenon Marbles, housed at the British Museum, to Greece.

The two sides also highlighted the importance of their cooperation within the framework of international organizations, such as UNESCO, on issues related to the protection of cultural goods from illicit trafficking.