Ioannis Kasoulidis

Ioannis Kasoulidis (Greek Iωάννης Κασουλίδης, also Kasoulides transcribed, born August 10, 1948 in Nicosia) is a Cypriot politician. As a leading member of the Christian Democratic Dimokratikos Synagermos ( Democratic Rally ) 1997-2003, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus and has held this office since March 1, 2013 again. As of June 2004 Kasoulidis was a member of the European Parliament. In February 2008 he joined unsuccessfully as a candidate of his party in the presidential election in Cyprus.

Biography

Ioannis Kasoulidis studied medicine in Lyon, where he received his doctorate in 1974. In the following years he specialized in the field of geriatrics. From 1975 to 1981 he worked as a physician and medical assistant in London before he returned to his home city of Nicosia and settled there as a specialist.

Mid -1980s Kaoulidis ' career began in the party Dimokratikos Synagermos. From 1990 to 1993 he was chairman of the youth assessment narrowing of the Democratic Rally, he is since 1993 member of the Politburo of the Party.

In May 1991, Ioannis Kasoulidis was elected as MP for the constituency of Nicosia in the Cyprus House of Representatives. Two years later he resigned to accept the office of the government spokesman. In April 1997, Kasoulidis new foreign minister, the government Glavkos Kliridis '. He held until February 28, 2003, when Tassos Papadopoulos of the new conservative DIKO President was this office. In Kasoulidis tenure of the conclusion of the negotiations on the accession of Cyprus to the European Union and the start of bilateral talks between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on the reunification of Cyprus after Annan plan fell.

After the accession of Cyprus to the EU Kasoulidis was elected in June 2004 in the European Parliament, where he was a member of the Group of the European People's Party. Kasoulidis was Deputy Chairman of the Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council, Member of the European Parliament delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly Euro-Mediterranean and a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In June 2007 Kasoulidis gave his candidacy in the presidential elections in February 2008. He was supported by the Democratic Rally and some smaller parties. Polls foresaw a head-to -head race between the officiating President Papadopoulos, Kasoulidis and the left-wing candidate Dimitris Christofias in the final weeks before the elections. In the first round of elections Kasoulidis received on February 17, with a share of 33.51 % with the most votes, closely followed by Dimitris Christofias with 33.29 % of votes. Tassos Papadopoulos was in third place with a voting share of 31.79 %, which is deselected. The run-off election on 24 February 2008, he lost against Christofias with 47 % of votes.

After the electoral victory of his party colleague Nikos Anastasiadis in the presidential election in 2013, he was appointed by him as the successor of Erato Kozakou - Marcoullis again as foreign minister and took office on March 1, 2013.

Kasoulidis is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Order of the Phoenix of the Hellenic Republic, the Xirka the Order of Malta and the Order of the Cedar of Lebanon. In 2000 he received the award of the town of Bethlehem by the Palestinian Authority.