Shemaine Bushnell Kyriakides
The U.S. Embassy in Cyprus hosted a reception Wednesday evening to welcome its new Public Affairs Officer, Kahina Robinson, bringing diplomats, media representatives, and other guests together at the Center for Visual Arts and Research in old Nicosia.
Deputy Chief of Mission Daniel Mangis hosted the event and formally introduced Robinson, who will lead the embassy’s public diplomacy work and serve as one of its main public voices in Cyprus.
Robinson thanked her colleagues for their support and for making the transition into her new role easier.
The evening also offered guests an opportunity to meet U.S. Ambassador John Breslow, who arrived in Cyprus only a couple of weeks ago.
H.E. John Breslow, US Ambassador to Cyprus, at a reception in Nicosia last night welcoming Fulbright scholars to Cyprus
In brief remarks, Breslow thanked embassy staff and local contacts for the warm welcome and for helping him settle into his new post. Drawing on his background as a businessman, he spoke about the importance of bringing different sides to the same table and suggested that, from what he has seen so far, that process is already happening in Cyprus.
The embassy also introduced the latest group of Fulbright English teaching assistants, who will work in public schools across the island, with one assigned to a school in each district.
The program has been running in Cyprus for years, placing young Americans in local classrooms to support English teaching while giving students a more direct connection to American life and culture.
It was diplomacy in a more personal form: new embassy officials meeting the community they will work with, and young Fulbright teachers preparing to build U.S.-Cyprus ties one classroom and probably a few tricky grammar lessons at a time.
