Prime Minister Antonis Samaras inaugurated the renovated premises of the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion on Saturday, in the presence of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang, who will be concluding his visit to the island of Crete in the afternoon.

“It is a great honor for me to be here, at this museum which is filled with cultural treasures. Also, I would like to thank the Cretan people for their contribution in the safe return of the 13,000 Chinese nationals to their home in February 2011 from unrest hit Libya. I agree with Mr Samaras that Greece and China have similar values in philosophy,”said Mr. Li Keqiang.

The Greek prime minister welcomed Keqiang as the first visitor of the renovated Museum, but mainly as “a true friend who is coming from far away”, adding that “we are sharing with our cultures the common knowledge that brings us closer”.

Samaras then made special references to Minoan culture, stressing that it constitutes splendid capital in the duration of Greek culture. He spoke of strong roots and of the history and mythology of Crete, praising the island’s leading role from ancient times with the tradition of the sea and its role as the crossroads of three continents and as a hub, while terming Minoan Crete “the focus of discoveries and of technology”.

Samaras also said that 61 major cultural projects are taking place on the island which will have changed Crete’s cultural map by 2015 and that more than 100 million euros are being spent that provide jobs and “constitute a field of know-how for manpower”.

The Greek prime minister told Keqiang “friends demolish obstacles and build bridges” and gave him symbolically the ticket with the number 1 that came out of the Museum’s ticket office in his name.