Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiades in the morning we visited the site where work is underway to create memory park in Matiwhich are carried out thanks to the donation of the Republic of Cyprus. The two leaders were briefed on the progress of the work and symbolically planted a tree.

“In this place, which is imprinted in the collective subconscious of our country as a place identified with a great trauma, this park, which is being built today, comes to partially heal these wounds,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in his greeting.

“I want to personally thank the President of the Republic of Cyprus, who from the first moment provided us with a very significant amount, part of which goes to the construction of this park. The rest of the money and most of it will go, as you know, to the construction of a modern social housing complex in order to be able to accommodate our fellow citizens who lost their homes in a devastating fire in modern housing.“, the Prime Minister stressed.

Mr. Mitsotakis stressed that “we have done something that has never been done before in Greece. We must also endow this city with green spaces, such as this park, which will be the largest park in eastern Attica. The money of the Republic of Cyprus has its place and hopefully on your next visit you will also see the progress of the housing projects we are building.”

For his part, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiadis, said: “I am very excited because today I have been given the opportunity to fully understand how symbolic, but also important, the contribution of the Republic of Cyprus is as a minimal element of solidarity with Greek Hellenism, which supported us so much in critical hours.

“The Republic of Cyprus, in solidarity and love for those who fell victim to this great catastrophe, has taken a decision and contributed 10 million euros to a special fund to build, according to the plans of the government, with which we have excellent and excellent cooperation, ten apartment buildings with 14 apartments in each, that is, about 100 apartments,” said Mr. Anastasiadis.

“Unfortunately, my visit also coincides with another tragic event, the death of two heroic pilots, so, again in solidarity with the Hellenic Republic and the Greek people, the Cypriot government has decided to contribute $2.5 million towards military aviation. “, – said N. Anastasiadis.

Nikos Tagaras, Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, responsible for spatial planning and urban environment, among other things, stressed that “we have completed all the planning regarding local rehabilitation. With regard to the entire planning of 2500 acres, I want to inform you that in June we will complete the second stage, the beautification plan and the act of implementation. In other words, in three years and three months, something happened that never happened in the past, in such a volume and at such a time.

Regarding the measures taken, the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy in charge of environmental issues, Giorgos Amiras, said: “We will surround the memorial park with thermal imaging cameras that will be able in real time, at a distance of 2 km, to detect any flame. And easier on the light, we’ll know. And at the same time with taps that will be connected to the network so that we have an immediate possibility of fire fighting, as well as for other purposes of using water.”

It is noted that the memorial park in Mati is a tribute to the victims of the deadly fire in 2018. It will be at the same time a place of gathering, sport and entertainment for the public of the wider area, given that once completed, it will be the largest forested recreational area in eastern Attica.

The redevelopment plan for a property of about 130 acres, which was owned by NAT and has not been used for many years, provides, among other things, construction of a bike path, football, tennis and beach volleyball courts, special dirt slides for mountain bikes, playgrounds and environmental education for children, walking corridors, the configuration of recreation areas and the location of the outdoor events venue organized.

It is also planned to plant almost 11,000 trees and shrubs. All interventions will be carried out with care for the unhindered access of the elderly and disabled.

Near the park, two buildings will be repaired and reconstructed, which will be used as an exhibition and training center for the needs of citizens. Also planned is a “green” parking with photovoltaic installations on canopies, which will ensure the energy autonomy of the entire infrastructure.

The Prime Minister and President of the Republic of Cyprus were welcomed by Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni, Deputy Minister of Environment Giorgos Amiras, Deputy Minister of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment Nikos Tagaras, Speaker of the Parliament Konstantinos. Tasoulas, Attica Regional Governor Giorgos Patoulis, Marathona Mayor Stergios Tsirkas and Rafina-Pikermi Mayor Evangelos Burnous.

With information from APE-MPE