The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce (Keve) on Thursday successfully held the fourth edition of the Cyprus Diplomat of the Year awards, with Kuwait ambassador Waleed Ahmad Al-Kandari receiving the titular award.

The event, which took place at the presidential palace in Nicosia, was also attended by Speaker of the House Annita Demetriou, as well as other stakeholders from the political, diplomatic and business communities.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides was also scheduled to attend the awards but unforeseen circumstances resulted in the minister still being in the UAE at the time of the event.

Upon receiving the award, the ambassador thanked the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kornelios Korneliou and the Keve president Christodoulos Angastiniotis, as well as the President of the Republic.

“I would also like to thank my family for all of their support throughout all of these years I have spent abroad,” Al-Kandari said.

“I wish prosperity to everyone and to the Republic of Cyprus,” he added.

Keve president Angastiniotis delivered the opening address, which detailed some of the chamber’s initiatives in recent years, as well the support the event had received from public bodies and other organisations, including non-profit Tech Island.

The keynote speaker of the event was Cypriot expat and real estate magnate John Christodoulou.

In his speech, Christodoulou spoke about his early life, including when he and his family had to flee Cyprus after the Turkish invasion, as well as his start and rise in business, from being an apprentice diamond mounter to entering the property market.

Finally, Christodoulou urged all diplomats in attendance to work toward a solution, stressing that time is running out.

diplomat of the year awards cyprus mail john christodoulou

Keynote speaker John Christodoulou