GREENS: CYPRUS GOVERNMENT SHOULD INTERVENE TO SAVE THE HISTORIC MELKONIAN AND THE FOREST THAT SURROUNDS IT

The Cyprus Greens Party had warned from November 19, 2003 about the dangers of the development of the land of the historic Melkonian school in Nicosia.

We had expressed our dire concern at the time regarding information about the sale of the ownership of the Melkonian Institute in Nicosia to a large enterprise in order to develop the land commercially by putting up office block buildings and housing complexes.

The Greens Party regards such action as having destructive repercussions on the capital city. This stretch of green that is directly linked to a historic building and a cultural institute, will be lost forever.

The Member of Parliament representing the Greens Party, Mr. George Perdikis, resorted to a series of actions, such as raising the issue for discussion in the House of Representatives Environmental Committee. As a result, the historic buildings of the Melkonian Institute have – according to our information – been declared as listed [protected as National Heritage site].

The same is also expected to happen in the case of the Melkonian Institute’s forest.

We have also asked the Town Planning Commission and the Minister of Interior to change the zoning of the area from Eb3 (allowing the construction of buildings with up to six floors) to Da1 (nature protected), in order to demolish any financial motive to possess the Institute’s property.

We call on the Cyprus Government to take the initiative to prevent with a decisive move the destruction of yet another pillar that supports the past, the present and future of this city.

We also call upon the Armenian Community of Cyprus to react dynamically by expressing its objection to the commercialization of its historic past.