Panos Panayiotopoulos

By Margarita Pournara

A recent visit by newly appointed Culture Minister Costas Tasoulas to the Archaeological Site of Nemea brought some good news to one of the country’s leading sites, which has been struggling to stay open due to staff and security shortages since the start of the crisis.

Culture Minister Panos Panayiotopoulos called on Thursday for the creation of a European Union task force to protect the continent’s cultural heritage, including Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

Greek President Karolos Papoulias is expected to meet with Pope Francis during a visit to Rome on Friday.

Papoulias is due in the Italian capital for a meeting with his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano.

The two men are due to inaugurate an exhibition of Italian and Greek antiquities.