Ministry of Culture updates on artist status bill and denies resignation rumors

During a meeting with cultural journalists in Nicosia on Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou and Director General Giorgos Papageorgiou discussed the progress of the artist status bill. The draft is being translated into English for evaluation by European experts, with a meeting scheduled for mid-July to finalize recommendations before it is submitted to Parliament. Kassianidou announced the upcoming launch of the 'Nostos' funding program by the end of the week, aimed at supporting occupied communities and preserving the memory of those territories. Additionally, an agreement to transfer the management of the Lemba Cultural Village to Paphos-based artists will be signed on July 9. The Deputy Minister explicitly denied media reports claiming she had expressed an intention to resign to President Nikos Christodoulides. She emphasized that any decisions regarding government reshuffles remain the sole prerogative of the President.