On Tuesday, October 18, at the premises of the Hellenic Cultural Foundation, namely the restored Bodosaki House, in the presence of the President and the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Cultural Foundation, and on the other hand, mayors and representatives, an agreement was signed between the Puglia region and the Salentina Union of Hellenic Municipalities to initiate and the development of sustainable cooperation, which should start with the establishment of the Hellenic Cultural Foundation Representation in Salentina, Greece, to ensure the development of cultural ties between the Greek-speaking region of Salentine Greece and in general Apulia and Southern Italy with Greece.

• Cooperation with schools and universities regarding the teaching of Greek and Modern Greek, as well as cooperation in the field of science and research.
• Support for artistic and cultural production and development of cooperation in the field of museums, libraries and publications.
• Cooperation in the educational environment. The parties will contribute to:
• to promote the teaching and learning of the Greek dialect and modern Greek as compulsory subjects in the school curriculum, with particular reference to the Salentina region of Greece.
• to develop initiatives for student mobility, cultural and educational exchange between Greece and Apulia, and to develop joint initiatives to this end.
• to encourage the exchange of experience between teachers and schools in order to develop content aimed at knowledge of the common elements of the language, culture and history of Greece and Apulia in the context of the Mediterranean.
• support cooperation between universities, research and educational institutions in areas of common interest, such as linguistic, historical, anthropological-cultural, archaeological, etc.
• Support for artistic and cultural production. The parties will contribute to:
• maintain knowledge about the art and culture of the two countries through special programs for organizing cultural events, festivals, exhibitions, conferences, creative exchanges and creative residences.
• to promote and strengthen the joint production of activities in the field of music, theater, cinema, dance, in which they draw common features from the culture and art of the two countries
• to support cooperation between museums, galleries, libraries, the organization of exhibitions and events relating to the archaeological, historical, artistic, archival heritage, with reference to elements that highlight the common elements of the cultural heritage of the two countries in the context of the Mediterranean.

The Hellenic Cultural Foundation, as a prestigious institutional body for the dissemination of Greek culture and the Greek language, has responded to the proposal of the Italian side by taking the lead in this particular coordinated action, following encouraging visits in this direction by the President. Republic of Kathrin Sakellaropoulou and Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni.