First Culture Minister appointed

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Yiannis Toumazis was appointed on Monday as Cyprus’ first Deputy Minister of Culture, which President Nicos Anastasiades described as a landmark step.

During the ceremony, President Anastasiades said the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Culture would give new impetus and dimensions for a more effective and structured upgrade in managing Cyprus’ cultural wealth.

He said the ceremony “constitutes a historic day” for promoting culture as the cornerstone of the identity and profile of Cypriots.

The President said that the ultimate goal of establishing this autonomous administrative structure is the optimal coordination of existing services and, therefore, the overall management of culture-related activities.

He said the decision to appoint Toumazis “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 a sense of responsibility.”

He said that his priority was to highlight the importance of culture in general and the cultural and creative industries as agents of economic development and cohesion.

Establishing a deputy minister of culture completes Anastasiades’ plans to reform the government structure, including separate portfolios for tourism, shipping and welfare.

Yiannis Toumazis studied Civil Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens, Theatre Design at HKU University of the Arts Utrecht in The Netherlands, and Theory of Art and Aesthetics at the University of Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France, where he received his PhD.