Representatives of foreign embassies and businessmen were among those who turned out on Tuesday evening for the launch of ‘Bi-communal Brown’ café, a weekly meeting point in Old Nicosia for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot entrepreneurs.
According to a statement following the event, the commitment of those who attended the first networking session to strengthen the socioeconomic ties between the two communities was evident.
The idea for the meeting point came from easyJet founder and philanthropist Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou who runs the Stelios Business Awards every year, handing out thousands in grants to bi-communal ventures.
B-communal Brown is located at the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation in Nicosia’s old town and aims to give Greek and Turkish Cypriots more opportunities to get together to discuss their ideas or find a business partner.
“The important first networking meeting was attended by representatives of the British High Commission and diplomats from the Finnish embassies, Sweden and the United States, who characterised the Bi-Communal Brown as a great place, where young people and entrepreneurs from both communities will coexist and share ideas and experiences,” said a statement from the organisers.
“The aim of Sir Stelios is to bring businessmen from both communities close and to strengthen the climate of trust and cooperation.”
The operation of the café is part of the annual Stelios Awards process, which will be awarded in October. This is the 7th annual programme.
Bi-Communal Brown is open from 5pm to 6pm every Tuesday from 5pm to 6pm until the awards are launched. The building of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation is located at the Corner of Electric & Eptanisou 57 in Old Nicosia.
Since 2009 the Stelios Awards have been given to 40 bi-communal groups with cash handouts worth €1.2 million. This year, Sir Stelios is offering for the first time the amount of €300,000, rewarding a total of 30 business groups comprising Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, with the amount of €10,000 each to kickstart their businesses.
For information and registration for the 2015 awards visit: www.stelios.com .
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