The”Routes of the Olive Tree” are included in the Collective Declaration on Culture and Tourism, signed on Friday 14th of May by the minister of Culture and Tourism Mr. Pavlos GEROULANOS and his Turkish counterpart Mr. Ertugrul GUNAY, in the framework of the Constitutive Assembly of the Superior Council of Cooperation between Greece and Turkey, that took place in Athens in the presence of the Prime Ministers of Greece and Turkey.
Concretely, the declaration refers to “exploring in common the possibilities of cooperation in the sector of cultural tourism, mainly through cultural itineraries (for example the Routes of the Olive Tree and the Routes of Wine)”. This reference acknowledges the contribution of the “Routes of the Olive Tree” to the promotion of sustainable development, dialogue and peace among people and civilisations, as mentioned in the Memorandum of the Cultural Foundation the “Routes of the Olive Tree”, seated in Kalamata.
As it is known, the « Routes of the Olive Trees » were inaugurated in 1998 on an initiative of the Messinian Chamber. Ever since, they have had a fruitful presence, action and partnerships in all the Mediterranean and many European countries, Turkey included. What is more, they were officially recognised as « International Cultural Itinerary » by the UNESCO in 2003 and as “Great European Cultural Itinerary” by the Council of Europe in 2006.
