Cyprus Press and Information Office

The Press and Information Office (PIO) is a government department under the Ministry of Interior, which has been assigned the responsibility of publicising and promoting government policy as well as the work of the Government, the House of Representatives, the Judiciary, the semi-governmental organisations and independent bodies.

The PIO is the central publishing agency for the Government. It maintains the web pages of the Republic and, in addition, it is responsible for the application of the press and cinema laws and the official certification of translations. It is also responsible for the implementation of the decisions taken by the Advisory Committee on Enlightenment concerning audio-visual productions and book purchases, and responsible for submissions of texts in foreign publications and visits by foreign journalists, academics and students. It represents Cyprus at board meetings of European audio-visual bodies such as the Eurimages Fund, Audio-Visual Eureka and the European Audio-Visual Observatory. Mounting photographic exhibitions in Cyprus and assisting in the organization of such exhibitions abroad are among the responsibilities of the PIO. It monitors local and foreign media and endeavors to help them acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the Government's policies and Cypriot affairs in general. Modern methods of communication are used and printed and audio-visual material is produced to this end.

The PIO assists the Government Spokesman in his duties which include briefing media representatives daily on government policy and replying to questions on current issues. It has one of the biggest collections of Cypriot newspapers dating from 1879. Many of these are on microfilm - including the first Greek Cypriot newspaper published in 1878 when Britain took over the island from the Ottomans - and available to researchers. It also has a library containing books on various subjects to do with Cyprus, in Greek, English and other languages.

Through the PIO website ( http://www.moi.gov.cy/pio ) one can link to all government Ministries, services or independent organizations on line.