Handing over the reins of spin

NEW Government Spokesman Vassilis Palmas yesterday said it was an honour to take over the office from Christodoulos Pashiardis, who “enjoyed special appreciation for his ethos, abilities and character in general”.

Speaking during a ceremony to assume his new duties, Palmas noted that as Government Spokesman he could not be an endless source of information but would make every effort to support the media on a daily basis.

Palmas wished Pashiardis every success in his new position as Minister of Defence and expressed certainty that he would meet the demands of his new duties.

Pashiardis said he was sure journalists would have a closer, friendlier and more effective co-operation with the new Government Spokesman, “whose virtues include ethos and courtesy”.

Referring to the media, Pashiardis thanked them for their co-operation for the period of about a year that he held the position of spokesman.

Director of the Press and Information Office, Yiannakis Solomou, noted that Pashiardis had carried out his duties in a responsible manner, with competence and humour, and expressed certainty that both Pashiardis and Palmas would respond to their new duties with exceptional efficiency.

On Friday, Pashiardis was appointed as the new Defence Minister by President Tassos Papadopoulos. The appointment was made following the death of his predecessor Nicos Symeonides, who passed away last week in hospital as a result of a deteriorating lung condition.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.