Main opposition PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis welcomed the decision of the 47th UNESCO Conference to recognize the Minoan civilization as it constitutes a milestone for Crete and in general the birth of Western civilization.
"The inclusion of the Minoan monuments, despite the long delay, comes to give the importance and timeless value of the cultural values of the Greek cultural ideal that we, as a Greek state and society, must protect and pass on to future generations," the leader of PASOK-Movement for Change said in a statement. 
He added, however, that "the inclusion is also a reminder of the need to draw up a national strategy for culture, when the current government operates fragmentarily without a vision for the country's cultural assets," recalling that "it was not long ago that Knossos was at the mercy of weather phenomena with major destruction to the entire monument."