The Cypriot coastal town of Larnaka presented on Sunday its identity and its program for its candidacy to win the title of European Capital of Culture 2030.

The press conference was attended by Mayor of Larnaka Andreas Vyras, Chairman of the Organisation ‘Larnaka 2030’ Dinos Lefkaritis, Executive Director Spyros Pisinos and Artistic Director Kelly Diapouli.

Both the Mayor as well as the President of the Organisation pointed out that the whole town, including the business community, the Municipality, the educational community, the artists and cultural institutions as well as the civil society, have joined forces in the effort to win the title of European Capital of Culture.

Lefkaritis said that the organisation for Larnaka 2030 was founded in October 2022 and its first concern was to be staffed with people who can achieve this ambitious collective goal and said that Spyros Pisinos was the artistic director of the Paphos 2017 candidacy while Kelly Diapouli, prepared the proposal of Elefsina, which unanimously won the title of European Capital of Culture 2021 among 14 candidate cities of Greece.

In the candidacy it is pointed out that Larnaka is the most ancient city in Cyprus and has been inhabited for more than four thousand years. The city’s culture has been shaped by its long history and it is a unique crossroad of the Mediterranean Sea with Western and Eastern influences that have created a rich heritage inspired by countless cultures. It is the meeting point of Europe with the East, in terms of its geography, culture and architecture.