A woman holds a red lantern at the foot of the Acropolis hill in Athens, Greece, Feb. 14, 2020. [Xinhua/Marios Lolos]

The two countries have been celebrating the China-Greece Year of Culture and Tourism with a series of events in recent months.

ATHENS, June 16 (Xinhua) — Cultural exchanges open people's minds and help to bring Greece and China closer together, Greek Deputy Minister responsible for contemporary culture Nicholas Yatromanolakis told Xinhua in Athens on Thursday.

Through such exchanges, he said, "we become better citizens and better people, because we open our minds to new ideas and new concepts."

Speaking at the opening of a new exhibition program at the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (EMST), he added: "We are very happy that actually this year is a year of intense Greek-Chinese exchange in the field of culture."

Musicians perform a musical in front of the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon at cape Sounion, some 70 km southeast of Athens, Greece, on Sept. 17, 2020. [Xinhua/Marios Lolos]

The two countries have been celebrating the China-Greece Year of Culture and Tourism with a series of events in recent months.

As two great ancient civilizations, Greece and China both have a rich cultural heritage. They also have much to show in terms of contemporary creation, the Greek official said.

EMST, which was closed during the pandemic, has now resumed full operation and is collaborating with Chinese institutions. A new program comprising seven contemporary art exhibitions will begin on Thursday and run until Oct. 30, 2022.

"It is important to honor the past and the present, and to honor different cultures and be open to different ideas around the world," Yatromanolakis stressed, while standing in front of an artwork bearing the message "I can relate to you despite being from a different country."

Greek Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias (1st, R) speaks during the opening ceremony of the China-Greece Year of Culture and Tourism, in Athens, Greece on Sept. 16, 2021. [Xinhua/Marios Lolos]

Meanwhile, EMST Artistic Director Katerina Gregos told Xinhua: "I think that a public museum has a duty to deal with issues that are important to society. And this museum's focus will be on both sociopolitical questions, on environmental questions, on some of the issues that we consider most burning and most critical today. I very much believe in the role of the public museum as a motor for education, for knowledge, for creating social awareness."

(Source: Xinhua)