On Friday June 21, 2019, the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Ms. Vassiliki Anastassiadou, and the Director of the Department of Antiquities, Dr. Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou, visited CyI on the occasion of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between CyI and the Department of Antiquities.

Present at the meeting were Stelios Christofi, Advisor to the Minister, and Michalis Gavrielides, National Coordinator on illicit trafficking of Antiquities (Cyprus Police). Also present was Dr. Petros Kareklas, President of the Friends of the Cyprus Institute Association.

Following a short briefing by CyI President Professor Costas Papanicolas on the Institute’s research and educational activities, the delegation was given a guided tour of CyI laboratories and other research infrastructures.

“I am really impressed with The Cyprus Institute and its achievements,” noted the Minister in her address. “I have known the Institute for some time, and of course I was aware that is very successful, but following today’s briefing and visit I am certain that The Cyprus Institute is an asset to the Cypriot society contributing substantially to a knowledge society and also to our economy, and has great potential for further growth and contributions in the future”.

“At the Ministry we have been closely collaborating with the Institute for quite a while on issues of Cypriot Antiquities and the use of drones in Civil Aviation, and we remain ready to expand our collaboration in other domains as well’, she said.

The Director of the Department of Antiquities, Dr. Marina Solomidou-Ieronymidou, noted the long and fruitful collaboration between her Department and CyI, and hoped that the signing of the MoU, which updates a previous agreement from 2012, will further strengthen and expand the cooperation between the two organizations.

Finally, the Minister expressed her thanks for the opportunity to visit, and congratulated the Board Members, the Administration and the Scientists of the Institute for the impressive facilities and their research achievements, and assured them that her support for The Cyprus Institute is strong and will only continue to grow with this new agreement.