Today, at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of the President of the Republic Mr. In his address at the ceremony, President Anastasiades said that "exercising the powers granted to me by the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, I proceed today with the appointment of Mr. Kyriakos Kousios."
In his address at the ceremony, President Anastasiades said that "exercising the powers granted to me by the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, I proceed today with the appointment of Mr. Kyriakos Kousios. Kyriakos Kousios, a colleague from the past, a close friend from the past, to the position of Deputy Minister to the President.
The need arose as a result of personal problems that led the current Deputy Minister Vassilis Palma to resign.
My choice was determined taking into account the diligence, professionalism and experience gained by Mr Kousios during his successful tenure in the equally demanding post of Government Spokesman.
Taking into account all that I have mentioned, accepting once again to take up a very important and demanding position as Deputy Minister to the President, I have no doubt that you will again work with absolute dedication, zeal, conscientiousness and the diligence that distinguishes you.
In this context, as one of my closest associates, you are called upon, with the sense of responsibility that you always demonstrate, and in close cooperation with the rest of your colleagues, to contribute to the effort to complete a series of actions, reforms and policies that we are promoting with a view to the total modernisation of the country and its transformation into a modern, efficient and flexible state.
At the same time, it is with great sadness that I bid farewell to a close colleague of mine, Mr. Vassilis Palmas, whom I would like to thank warmly for the cooperation we developed throughout his term of office, for his contribution and contribution to the implementation of the government's programme, but also for the ethics, honesty and professionalism he demonstrated during his term of office. I wish him all the best for the rest of his term of office.
Dear Kyriakos, taking into account what I have just mentioned, combined with your willingness to contribute to the work we are all trying to accomplish together for the benefit of the country and the Cypriot people, I have no doubt that you will be worthy of my trust, as you have done in the past."
For his part, Mr. Kousios expressed his thanks to the President of the Republic for the special honour he is doing him "for the second time", as he said.
He added that "when I left the Cabinet last July, I did not expect to come back and so soon.
But when a true friend for 45 years, the President of the Republic, invited me to contribute to my country from the position of Deputy Minister to the President, I could in no way refuse."
He further said that until the end of the President's term of office, there is a lot to be done and under the President's instructions and guidance "we should all work collectively" to achieve the goals set by the President which include, among others, reforms in the areas of the judiciary, Local Government, Public Service or those related to the economy and development projects to be completed or rolled out.
Regarding the national problem, Mr Kousios noted that its solution is a priority and referred to his own experiences as a refugee from Famagusta, pointing out the pain of all refugees. "It is not easy at all not to be able to take my grandchildren to the place where I was born and raised", he said.
Moreover, he assured President Anastasiades that "I will work with all my strength with fairness and objectivity to meet the expectations and the trust you have shown me."
Finally, referring to his predecessor Mr. Vassilis Palmas, he called him his "brother by choice" and a "diamond character whose absence will be felt by the Cabinet".
(PM/MB/EXP)
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