Commenting on today's announcement by the Cyprus Union of Journalists following yesterday's meeting with a delegation of its Board of Directors, Pelecanos said that ways to further improve cooperation between journalists and the Presidency were creatively discussed.
At the same time, the Government Spokesman expressed surprise at the NPC's request to "end the practice of banning entry to the Presidency when meetings of major interest are held", explaining that "there was never a ban on entry to the Presidency, only restrictions for a period of time due to the pandemic, always in proportion to those who imposed the restrictive measures that were decided upon, which have been lifted for about two months now".
Similarly, he described as unsubstantiated the NPC Board's claim of a "ban on questions following statements by government officials", noting that "the President, the entire Government and the Government Spokesman, are in daily contact with journalists, are exposed to dozens of live interviews which are watched daily by our fellow citizens across the media, and have never refused to answer questions from members of the press".
In closing, Mr. Pelecanos said in his statement that he personally assured the NPC to wheel out arrangements where possible to meet the remaining demands of the Board's delegation, noting that "the Government has over time and in practice demonstrated that it stands by the representatives of the press and will continue to do so."
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