Kenevezos assumed the duties of Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Greece since 1 July 2014, with parallel diplomatic accreditations in Tirana, Albania, and Tbilisi, Georgia.

Prior to his post in Athens, he was the minister of education and culture in Cyprus, a post he occupied from March 2013 to March 2014.

Kenevezos was born in Limassol in 1972. After his graduation from Lanitio Lyceum B, he carried out his military service from 1989 to 1991, concluding it with the rank of Artillery Second Lieutenant Reserve of the Cyprus National Guard. He then graduated from the law school of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

He also completed a Postgraduate Programme of Philosophy in the Faculty of Philosophy, Pedagogy, and Psychology of the School of Philosophy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where he is a Ph.D. candidate. The topic of his Doctoral Thesis is ‘The Political Philosophy of International Relations in the Eastern Mediterranean.’

During the period from 1997 to 2013, he practiced law and in 2008, he founded his own law firm in Limassol, Cyprus.

For a number of years, he served as secretary-general of the Cyprus Democratic Party from 2007 to 2014 as well as commissioner of justice and legal affairs from 2009 to 2014.

He has been honoured by municipalities, universities, and organisations both in Cyprus and abroad.

Kenevezos is also an honorary citizen of the Chios and Oinousses municipalities, and has been invited as guest speaker to a number of conferences, workshops, and seminars.

He is particularly interested and has addressed the major issues of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the various aspects of the Cyprus Problem in the international and internal political stage.

His articles have been included in national and foreign scientific volumes as well as in domestic academic journals, while he regularly writes for the daily and weekly press.

Egypt-Cyprus-Greece trilateral summit

“Our strategic choice to form these multi-level schemes with countries in our region and beyond has been and is the implementation of the general principles that we serve for cooperation, synergies, solidarity, stability, and peace in the wider region,” Kenevezos explained. 

“This included the trilateral summit as well as all the previous ones and those that will follow in the framework of which we have achieved both the deepening of our relations but, more essentially, the creation of conditions for cooperation in many key areas and critical sectors.”

The Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF)

“The creation and establishment of the EMGF has been for us the logical progression and outcome of the collaborations I have mentioned before,” he emphasised, adding that through this operating platform/institution, all participants have the opportunity to express more substantially and effectively their will.

At the same time and most importantly, it sets a fundamental framework for a structured dialogue and understanding of the relevant issues concerning the region and each of the participants.

“It is emphasised that, as far as it concerns us, the goal and purpose of our every proposal, our every thought, and our every strategic move is to contribute to the service of the basic principles of stability, cooperation, and peace in the region,” he said.

Cooperation opportunities between Egypt and Cyprus

According to Kenevezos, one could easily note that Egyptian-Cypriot relations are at their best point ever. The most important factors for building up relations and partnerships is honesty and purity of intentions as well as the core principles one chooses to serve.

“Egypt and Cyprus are in complete agreement regarding all the above, and this agreement creates the conditions for co-creation,” he noted.

“It is for this reason that in the context of the many meetings that have taken place in recent years, agreements and collaborations have emerged regarding so many areas and pillars of action of our two states,” Kenevezos added.

“Obviously, energy and security issues are at the forefront of our discussions, but they are not enough by themselves. We should and have entered into a more multi-layered and stratified discussion and understanding of issues that concern our citizens and our societies, in the context of everyday life, such as environmental, education, trade, and immigration issues. This is being done successfully and we aspire to implement it more substantially along the way.”

He also assured that it is for this reason that the decision has been made to establish a General Directorate that will monitor the progress and implementation of all issues and agreements that arise from the trilateral or quadrilateral schemes.

Egypt’s President El-Sisi achievements, including mega projects, new cities, and economic reforms

“It is a fact that Egypt is on a path of progress. This gives us great satisfaction,” Kenevezos said.

“It is very important to feel that a key partner and supporter in your area is on the rise and on a course of progress. This adds and contributes to the conditions for stability and peace in the region.”

“As I have mentioned before, the mutual cooperation, the exchange of ideas, experiences, and expertise in the context of the meetings between us also expand in a number of business sectors, thus offering opportunities to both sides to develop actions, but more importantly, through them emerges a fundamental connection of additional and larger groups of our peoples, which strengthens the relations further and fosters the success of the agreements we sign,” he added.

The results of the NOSTOS initiative

“Cyprus, Egypt, and Greece have a unique long-standing bond going back for centuries. A genuine relationship of friendship based on firm core principles and values that create an important link between our peoples,” said Kenevezos.

“It is in this context that we have promoted and expanded the goals of our cooperation, in diaspora issues, cooperation, and joining forces to serve our common interests, especially in powerful decision-making centres, where all three of our countries have strong diaspora communities.”

“Such collaborations empower and strengthen the relations of our three countries and bring our peoples closer, especially abroad,” he added, emphasising that through the NOSTOS tripartite programme, four actions have already been implemented — one in Alexandria in May 2018 in the presence of the Presidents of the three countries; one in London in October 2018; in Melbourne in March 2019; and lastly in the three countries from July to August 2021, when members of the three diasporas’ youths were welcomed by the presidents of the three countries, respectively.

“In recent years, we have managed to bring the diaspora organisations of the three countries even closer after collaborating and carrying out joint actions in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and the US, thus achieving one of the main goals of our trilateral cooperation on diaspora issues.”