The Award of Excellence of the Republic of Cyprus for 2022 was received by the distinguished law professor Symeon Symeonidis, in the context of the solemn session of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, which took place at the Presidential Palace, on Tuesday evening.
In In his greeting, the President of the Republic, Nikos Anastasiadis, expressed his pride "since the establishment of the Academy was the result of our decision to fill a void related to the lack of a Higher Spiritual Institution in the country".
And we should all feel proud because Cyprus is now proud to have established its own Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts.
A Spiritual Foundation which constitutes an important chapter in terms of the promotion of History and Culture, as well as the development of intellectual life, Sciences, Letters and Arts in our country. At the same time, he added, "now Cyprus is actively represented in international and European Academies of intellectual background, participating in the formulation of regional and international policies".
One of the important purposes of the Academy, President Anastasiades pointed out, is the recognition, promotion and awarding of the excellence of our accomplished compatriots at an international level, as well as the utilization of their knowledge and experience. As such, he continued, the distinguished Cypriot Professor of Law Symeon Symeonides is recognized, to whom the Academy unanimously awards the Excellence of the Republic of Cyprus for the year 2022.
In addition, the President of the Republic noted that "Professor Symeonides , with a curriculum vitae of rich studies, contributed the most through his activities to the promotion of legal science. He added that his written work, translated into eight languages, has been of the utmost importance for the reformation of jurisprudence.
President Anastasiades spoke of the special love and close ties that Professor Symeonidis consciously maintained with Cyprus, referring to his contribution to the recovery of the cultural heritage of the Republic of Cyprus through legal proceedings, as well as his contribution as head of the committee that worked for the creation of the Law Department of the University of Cyprus.
Furthermore, he pointed out that during the Cypriot Presidency of the EU in 2012 for six months in Brussels, Professor Symeonidis presided over or participated in the European integration processes in important regulations of European Law without pay.
"In this context, his outstanding professional achievements, his essential action regarding the beneficial development of the subject of legal science for humanity, but also his pure philanthropy, fully justify the awarding of tonight's honorary distinction to him”, concluded the President of the Republic.
For his part, Andreas Dimitriou, President of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, said that the Academy, four years after its establishment, is consolidating itself by looking for ways that will make it useful in the country. The Academy, he said, has set three priority areas for the future: to develop itself, to strengthen and promote excellence in all fields of science, letters and arts, and to contribute to a better understanding of science by society and the state, but also in solving problems in the environment of our time. Mr. Dimitriou presented an award to the couple Takis and Loukis Nemitsa for the grant to the Academy of the Nemitsa Foundation and thanked the couple warmly for their help.
Achilleas Emilianidis, Secretary General of the Academy, announced the three new regular members of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts. The new members are the Professor of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics of the School of Positive and Applied Mathematical Sciences of the University of Cyprus, Efstathios Paparoditis, the Professor of the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the School of Social Sciences and Educational Sciences of the University of Cyprus, Kyriakos Dimitriou, as well as and the Professor of Pedagogy at Flinders University in Australia, Stella Bosniadou.
Professor Stavros Fotiou, member of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, read out the reasoning behind the award given to Law Professor Symeon Symeonidis. Mr. Fotiou noted that the decision to award the Excellence Award of the Republic of Cyprus for 2022 to Professor Symeonidis, who was born in Lythrodontas in 1949 and studied at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Harvard University in the USA, was unanimous.
< p>"Professor Symeonidis's contribution to his field of knowledge is invaluable," Mr. Fotiou pointed out, adding that Professor Symeonidis has emerged as one of the leading practitioners of private international law. He also noted that the human-centered approach to law is one of the essential features of his work.
In his opposition, Mr. Symeonidis said that he accepts the honor "with bottomless gratitude and profound pride", adding that this honor is sweeter when it comes from your place. Mr. Simeonidis indicated that any successes in his life are not only due to his own effort, but also to the contribution of other people. In this context, he thanked his parents, his siblings, his wife and his teachers, who, he said, taught him how to think, not what to think. "I grew up in a family and in circumstances that taught me very early that life is not what you want, but what you have to do", he concluded.
During the event, a video of life and the activity of Professor Symeonides and was followed by a musical program by the pianist Elena Mouzala.
Source: KYPE
