Georgios Iacovou
| Georgios Iacovou Γεώργιος Ιακώβου |
|
|---|---|
| High commissioner for Cyprus in the United Kingdom | |
|
Assumed office 20 October 2006 |
|
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus | |
|
In office 1 March 2003 – 12 June 2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Ioannis Kasoulidis |
| Succeeded by | Giorgos Lillikas |
|
In office 22 September 1983 – 27 February 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Nicos A. Rolandis |
| Succeeded by | Alekos Michaelides |
| Cypriot ambassador to Germany | |
|
In office January 1979 – January 1983 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
19 July 1938 Peristeronopigi, Cyprus |
| Nationality | Cypriot |
| Profession | diplomat, politician |
Georgios Kyriakou Iacovou (born 19 July 1938) is a Cypriot diplomat and politician. Iacovou served as Foreign Minister of Cyprus for two consecutive terms from September 1983 to 1988 and from 1988 to 1993 and for a third term from 2003 to June 2006, which makes him Cyprus' longest serving Foreign Minister. Between 2006 and 2007, he served as High Commissioner of Cyprus to the United Kingdom. He is also known for his work on the rehabilitation of Greek Cypriot refugees and on persons of Greek origin living in the former Soviet Union. Between 2008 and 2013, Iacovou was Minister of Presidency.
Iacovou was born in the village of Peristeronopigi, in Famagusta District. He graduated from the Famagusta Gymnasium. From 1955 to 1960, Iacovou was a student in the United Kingdom and was active in student politics and Greek Cypriot community affairs.
From 1960 until 1964 he worked in the private sector in Cyprus. He worked as a Senior Consultant at the international enterprise Price Waterhouse in London, Principal Officer for Operational Research and later on as Senior Finance Officer of the board of directors of British Rail. In 1972 he returned to Cyprus from the United Kingdom and was appointed Director of the Cyprus Productivity Centre, where he introduced new management methods in industry and commerce and pioneered programmes for continuing education of business executives. He pioneered a post-graduate management course that has been running for over thirty years. He also turned his attention to the upgrading of skills of artisans and technicians in many fields. Concurrently, Iacovou was Chairman of the board of directors of the Hotel and Catering Institute of Cyprus ("HCI") and under his stewardship the HCI became internationally known and was acknowledged accordingly on the island.
Following the Turkish invasion of 1974, he established and directed the "Service for the Relief and Rehabilitation of Displaced Persons" on directions from the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus. He later also established the "Service for the Reintegration of Displaced Persons". Iacovou's work for refugees has had an important impact on subsequent developments in Cyprus including what has been dubbed the Cypriot "economic miracle". In this capacity Iacovou became a close associate of Archbishop Makarios, the first President of the Republic of Cyprus. He also became one of the most articulate advocates of the rights of displaced persons in Cyprus, who form a core issue of the wider Cyprus problem. His work in the field has been nationally and internationally acknowledged and his exposure to these people's problems influenced his subsequent career. He is considered one of the ablest administrators of Cyprus and is often referred to as the technocrat with the big heart. From April 1976 until January 1979 he served as Head of the Africa Department of the UN High Commission for Refugees in Geneva.
...
Wikipedia