Your Excellency Mr President,
I would like to begin by thanking you warmly for the great honour of entrusting me with the duties of the first Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, implementing your announcement for the establishment of a Deputy Ministry of Culture.
It is with great satisfaction, but also with a sense of responsibility that I take on these duties.
It is with satisfaction, because culture now has its own state status, an independent, flexible and autonomous administrative structure, which will be dedicated to the promotion of the culture of Cyprus, our cultural heritage, as well as of modern and contemporary culture.
At the same time, I assume this position with a sense of responsibility towards the cultural community of Cyprus and I emphasize that the policy and strategic plans of the Deputy Ministry of Culture are extremely people-oriented, and the creators and producers of culture are at the centre of them.
Your Government, through the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, is actively declaring its commitment to the modern concept of culture as the new 'Soft Power'. Equal, alongside diplomacy, the economy and the power of defence armaments.
We intend to make use of this power: it is our main weapon.
In cultural diplomacy, in attracting investment and human capital, in developing cultural tourism, but above all in creating and consolidating a strong image for our country, with all the benefits that this entails in the international arena. The perception that culture is a luxury expenditure for the few is also outdated.
Global trade in creative products more than doubled between 2004 and 2020, while culture is a central element in the new economy of creativity, innovation and access to knowledge.
The cultural and creative industries account for around 3% of the world's gross domestic product and 30 million jobs.
The cultural and creative industries account for around 3% of the world's gross domestic product and 30 million jobs.
The creation of the Ministry of State for Culture by the Government aims to more effectively implement a coherent strategic direction for culture with a focus on innovation, ecology, inclusiveness, social inclusion and economic growth.
EU bodies have for decades been prominently reporting that strategic investments in the cultural sector yield excellent and measurable results. In some cases, such as in the organisation of festivals and other cultural events, the return on investment has increased tenfold.
Our priority is therefore to highlight the importance of culture in general and the Cultural and Creative Industries in particular, as agents of economic and social development and cohesion, as sources of sustainable investment and increased profitability.
One of the main pillars of our policy is to strengthen extroversion in the field of culture, through the development and enhancement of cultural and creative industries.
Our strategic position in the Eastern Mediterranean requires the active and leading engagement of Cyprus in actions and initiatives that will highlight the important role we can play in the field of Cultural Diplomacy, contributing to the normalization and development of relations through culture.
In a spirit of cooperation, transparency and with an eye to the future, in the short time available to me, I will work with consistency and enthusiasm to lay the foundations for the proper formation of the Ministry of State, always focusing on the creator, the human being, the tireless worker of culture.
Moreover, I personally, as a person coming from the field of culture, interpret the confidence of the President of the Republic in me, your confidence, as confidence in the workers of culture in our country.
Thank you.
(MGS/SX)
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