Cyprus and Greece sign memorandum on education

A bilateral memorandum aimed at further strengthening educational cooperation between Cyprus and Greece was signed at the Holy Archdiocese in Nicosia on Tuesday. The memorandum was signed by Education Minister Athena Michaelidou and her Greek counterpart Sofia Zacharaki, as well as Cypriot Archbishop George and on behalf of the Archbishop of the Church of Greece, Ieronymos, the Metropolitan of Messinia, Chrysostomos III. “This is not a mere declaration of intent, but a strategic plan that provides for specific, measurable and substantive actions,” Michaelidou said. The memorandum is aimed at highlighting Cypriot history through joint educational activities such as trainings for teachers and clergy, an annual school competition, educational visits and the development of digital infrastructure. Michaelidou described the memorandum as a “decisive step towards deepening cooperation” in the fields of education and historical memory. “For us, historical self-awareness is not merely a sterile recitation of the past. It is the foundation for understanding the present and the compass guiding our path towards the future,” she said. The Church is ‘our living guardian’ Referring to the role of the church, Michaelidou said that it “has been the living guardian that, in difficult times, has safeguarded the Greek language, education and our cultural heritage”. She said that the collaboration of the two churches in the memorandum gave the initiative a powerful symbolic dimension, establishing the broad framework necessary for cooperation to ensure that the rich heritage is passed on to the younger generation as “the future citizens of Hellinism”. Michaelidou welcomed the Greek government’s decision in 2025, whereby Cyprus’ national day on April 1 was commemorated for the first time in schools across Greece, describing it as a “pivotal decision” that contributes to the “organic integration” of the history of Cyprus into the Greek educational curriculum. Meanwhile Greek Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki described the signing as a continuation of last year’s decision to honour the EOKA struggle in all schools across Greece. “I see this text as a commitment, so that the provisions of this memorandum become a reality for the children,” she said. She also referred to the role of the two churches, which, as she said, “were, are and will be here”. Describing the ongoing Turkish occupation as a “tragedy”, she emphasised that “Greece always stands firmly by the side of the Republic of Cyprus. It always supports a viable, just solution. Always within the framework of United Nations resolutions.” ‘Strengthening historical memory’ Archbishop Georgios said the memorandum was an expression of the organisations’ determination to cooperate in the field of education and to “strengthen historical memory” and the “continuity of the nation’s journey”. The Archbishop said that he had initially doubted the need for such an initiative as it would “state the obvious”, however acknowledged that the current era of artificial intelligence brought significant changes. “What was self-evident yesterday is now regarded as alien and inaccessible, and many are losing their bearings. Because all this is happening, I understand, and not merely accept but wholeheartedly endorse, our endeavour,” he said. On behalf of the church of Greece, Metropolitan Chrysostomos III of Messinia delivered a greeting, conveying blessings of Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens, who, as he said, congratulated everyone on the initiative and “will stand by every aim” set out in the memorandum. He spoke of a “a cultural osmosis, which must be reaffirmed through certain actions” such as those set out in the memorandum, that should not only be limited to Cyprus and Greece but should be spread through the Greek diaspora via schools so that Greek children living abroad could also understand the elements that have historically shaped Greek culture.