It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Deputy Ministry of Culture.
To your home, the home of creators and producers of culture.
The Government has implemented its announcement and President Nicos Anastasiades has done me the great honour of entrusting me with the duties of the first Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus.
It is with great satisfaction, but also with a sense of responsibility that I assume these duties.
An entity which will have an independent, flexible and autonomous administrative structure, which will be dedicated to the promotion of the culture of Cyprus, our cultural heritage and our modern and contemporary culture.
At the same time, I assume this position with a sense of responsibility towards all of you, 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.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, and my friend Minister of Education Prodromos Prodromou, who has been in charge of culture in our country until now.
I also express my sincere thanks to the Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry, the dear Natasha Pilidou, for her dynamic support so far to the Cyprus Handicrafts Service, which is also now under our Deputy Ministry.
Warm thanks also to the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, the dear Yannis Karousosos, with whom we are working closely for the smooth integration of the Department of Antiquities from 1/7/2023 as provided for by the legislation establishing the Deputy Ministry.
I would like to take this opportunity to state that the Department of Antiquities will be one of the main pillars of the new structure of the Ministry of State, will be strengthened and upgraded in such a way that we will protect, highlight and promote even more our cultural heritage.
The Government, through the establishment of the Ministry of State for Culture, actively declares 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 use 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 this entails in the international arena.
The perception that places culture on the margins of social and national activities is long outdated.
As is the perception that considers culture to be a luxury expenditure, aimed at the privileged few.
Cultural goods are for everyone, and equal access to them is a key human right.
Global trade in creative goods more than doubled between 2004 and 2020, and culture is central to the new economy of creativity, innovation and access to knowledge.
The cultural and creative industries account for around 3% of global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and provide more than 30 million jobs.
The creation of the Ministry of State for Culture by the Government aims at a more effective implementation of a coherent strategic direction for culture based on innovation, ecology, inclusiveness, inclusiveness, social inclusion and economic development.
The State Ministry of Culture aspires to contribute to the establishment of a social reality that prioritises and celebrates the innate human capacity to create, looking forward to and enhancing the culture and education of people (especially young people) who feel marginalised and excluded in the maelstrom of ever-changing realities.
Creative practices and processes can, with proper planning, programming and implementation, be a springboard for normalizing the injustices, inequalities, segregation and discrimination that are currently observed both in our country and around the world.
Culture builds bridges and unites people.
The arts in particular can provide a strong, active, and sustainable platform through which sustainable practices can be developed, which will help to reduce or even eliminate the gap that exists today between the existing and the emerging, between the "familiar" and the unknown, between xenophobia and xenophilia.
It is a fact that the last few years have been decisive for Cyprus and its culture in many ways. First the economic crisis and then the pandemic revealed the serious problems of the cultural and creative sector.
In constant consultation and with the full support of the President of the Republic, we have set as our primary objective the professional protection of people who create and produce culture.
To this end, we are immediately starting consultations with all stakeholders in order to achieve a decades-old vision.
It is through the safeguarding that our creators can find the stability and certainty they need, making them equal to every Cypriot worker.
All the more so since, despite great difficulties, there is a substantial boom in the arts in Cyprus and the emergence of a new and dynamic generation of artists.
When given the right opportunity, our creators in Cinema, Visual Arts, Theatre, Music, Dance, Literature, Performance, Applied Arts, in every creative field, produce many interesting, innovative and pioneering works with international appeal.
In addition, we intend to immediately modernise the whole philosophy of government projects that support and promote cultural creation, both in terms of how they are submitted and how they are evaluated and monitored.
At the same time, our aim is to increase financial support to cultural producers, investing in the further development and sustainable growth of the cultural and creative sectors, as one of the heavy industries of our island.
At the same time, the Ministry's immediate objectives include the creation, promotion and support of a network of strategic cultural partners in all sectors.
Our partners will implement autonomously actions and programmes, within the framework of the national strategy for culture.
This is also the modern concept in the cultural industry on an international level.
Our strategic partner will certainly be the Local Government through institutionalized and targeted actions.
At the same time, we will directly promote the strengthening of the Cultural Decentralization Programme, through the funding of cultural actions in Municipalities and Communities throughout the Republic of Cyprus.
Cultural tourism is estimated to account for up to 40% of all tourism in Europe. With the development of programmes and infrastructure, culture can further contribute to the qualitative and quantitative development of our tourism industry.
The Cyprus Handicrafts, which is also part of our Ministry of State, will play a key role in the study, development and promotion of knowledge about our folk traditions.
At the same time, it will be a field of experimentation and research, linking our rich tradition with the contemporary present through the applied arts, which will also be given special emphasis, recognition and support.
We aim to develop and implement new and innovative models of sustainable businesses that focus on skills, knowledge and techniques, some of which may be forgotten or even undervalued.
One of the main pillars of our policy is to enhance extroversion, through the development and strengthening of international, European and Mediterranean partnerships and encouraging the establishment of European networks in Cyprus.
Already, we are in consultation with two very large European networks for the creation of Mediterranean hubs based in Cyprus.
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 normalisation and development of relations. The creation of appropriate infrastructure, constant and frequent contacts and collaborations with cultural organisations and creators from the surrounding countries can potentially create the right conditions and prerequisites for an intellectual and artistic renaissance in this particular region; a renaissance, which I believe can contribute greatly to the normalisation of the differences and tensions that prevail.
We also aim to develop our cultural relations with our community centres around the world. Cypriots in the Diaspora also have a right to our cultural product.
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 shaping of the Ministry of State, always focusing on the creator, the human being, the tireless worker of culture.
Moreover, as a person coming from the field of culture, I personally interpret the confidence of the President of the Republic in me as confidence in the workers of culture in our country.
Welcome!
(B]PIO[/B]
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