Yiannis Toumazis was appointed on Monday as Cyprus’ first Deputy Minister of Culture, an event which, President Nicos Anastasiades described as “historic”.
During the ceremony for the appointment of Toumazis, President Anastasiades said the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Culture will give new impetus as well as new dimensions for a more effective and structured upgrade in the management of Cyprus’ cultural wealth.
He also said that the ceremony “constitutes an historic day” for the promotion of culture as the cornerstone of the identity and profile of Cypriots.
The President said that the ultimate goal of the establishment of this autonomous administrative structure is the optimal coordination of existing services, and therefore, the overall management of culture-related activities.
The decision to appoint Toumazis to the position of the first Deputy Minister of Culture, he said, “was not based only on his high academic and scientific qualifications, but also on his diverse activity in all fields of culture.”
The newly-appointed Deputy Minister, thanked the President for his appointment and said he assumes his new duties “with great pleasure and sense of responsibility.”
He said that his priority was to highlight the importance of culture in general, but also of the cultural and creative industries in particular as agents of economic development and cohesion, by strengthening extroversion with international and European collaborations.
Source: Cyprus News Agency