THE CYPRIOT PATH FROM JUNIOR OFFICER TO AMBASSADOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NICOSIA 000691

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OFDP PGOV PREL CY
SUBJECT: THE CYPRIOT PATH FROM JUNIOR OFFICER TO AMBASSADOR

REF: NICOSIA 340


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The Cypriot Foreign Ministry is a
relatively small institution, accepting a dozen new
professionals per year; most are among Cyprus's best and
brightest. New diplomats enter the corps through a hiring
process lasting seven months. Once on board, an A100-like
(but shorter) orientation follows, after which junior
officers receive their portfolios and begin work. Lacking
significant administrative and HR support, formal
opportunities for training are scant, making career
development highly dependent on personal initiative.
Nonetheless, attrition is low, a product of mostly-excellent
working conditions and a generous promotion ladder. The
Ministry's Number 2 exercises near total control over the
hiring and assignments process, giving him/her great ability
to influence policy long after departing the service. End
summary.

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A SMALL MFA FOR A SMALL COUNTRY
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2. (SBU) The MFA's size befits a country with just a
half-century of independence and fewer than one million
residents; both in square footage and workforce size its
headquarters nearly mirrors U.S. Embassy Nicosia. Overseas,
the Ministry maintains 35 bilateral embassies (high
commissions in Commonwealth states) and nine multilateral
permanent missions. The MFA's Permanent Secretary
(D-equivalent) is charged with all diplomatic hiring
decisions. The MFA recruits adult applicants from all walks
of Greek Cypriot life, although anecdotally, most new hires
are upper-class twentysomethings with graduate degrees, most
having studied in the UK or United States. With the growth
in higher education on the island, the MFA initiated its
first internship program for Cyprus-based university students
in August 2006.

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ENTRY PROCEDURES AND MFA ORIENTATION
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3. (SBU) Many diplomats have family members who also work in
the MFA, but entry is ostensibly merit-based. The hiring
process lasts approximately seven months and begins with
announced vacancies that usually appear yearly on the MFA's
website. Typically, about 10 to 15 openings become available
annually. At a minimum, applicants must hold a bachelor's
degree and be fluent in Greek and English. After submitting
their on-line application, candidates take a two-day
examination comprising five modules: general knowledge,
Cypriot history, Greek language, English language, and
knowledge of EU institutions. Successful candidates proceed
to interviews with a consultative committee of the MFA. The
committee, composed of the Permanent Secretary and the
Ministry's four most senior diplomats, ranks the candidates
and nominates up to four individuals per vacancy. Nominees
next attend interviews with the Public Service Commission,
responsible for all civil servant hirings. The Commission
then makes a final hiring decision based on a candidate's
entire portfolio.


4. (SBU) Topical or regional experience and interest help
determine new hires' divisional placement within the MFA, but
only at the discretion of the Permanent Secretary.
Otherwise, new diplomats receive assignments according to
Ministry needs. Funding limitations and the absence of a
Cypriot diplomatic academy condenses pre-job training into
just four weeks, beginning with a two-week orientation that
gives a "first understanding" of MFA practices and policies.
General briefings from all divisional directors and lectures
on the EU and its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
highlight this broad overview. A one-week session on the
structure and functions of the Republic of Cyprus government
follows at the Department of Public Administration's
Personnel Division. Initial training concludes with a week
in Brussels with other EU member states' new diplomats,
covering EU relations and diplomacy. The session, run by the
European Council, attracts attendees almost exclusively from
the states that have joined the EU since 2004; Cyprus first
participated in the program in 2006. One junior diplomat
noted the program's value to his work at the MFA, saying it
enlightened him to "what the EU is really about, and how
Cyprus does and does not influence decisions at the EU."

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YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN: LEARNING ON THE FLY
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5. (SBU) After completing their one-month training, new
diplomats receive a portfolio and start work immediately, an
experience one JO likened to "being thrown into the deep
end." Other MFA employees echoed her sentiments, but
maintained the training was adequate. Most of a new
diplomat's acclimatization to the MFA occurs on the job
through the advice of supervisors and informal seminars. The
MFA's small size and budget constrict its ability to convene
or send employees to training courses, but it sponsors as
many guest lectures as it can. The Ministry also takes
advantage of the European Diplomat Program, which convenes
five times per year in various European capitals with the
intent of informing new hires about EU practices and
developing lower-level diplomatic networks between EU states.
The Ministry also provides a limited number of foreign
language lessons to its diplomats, with an emphasis on
French, in preparation for Cyprus's European Union Presidency
in the second half of 2012. No personalized training exists
within the MFA, however. A close contact in the Middle East
division lamented the lack of area-specific seminars or
programs and noted the MFA relied heavily on diplomats' prior
experiences to develop expertise in their respective
portfolios.

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ASSIGNMENT ABROAD: "A JACK OF ALL TRADES"
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6. (SBU) New hires are eligible for assignment to foreign
posts after one year at headquarters. An internal catalog
circulates every February soliciting openings at overseas
missions. A diplomat's rank, experience, and preference
factor into the decisions, but the Permanent Secretary
distributes assignments in line with MFA priorities.
Existing language knowledge affects assignments, but there
are no requirements (e.g., German proficiency is not
mandatory for assignment to Berlin). Diplomats receive word
of the decisions in late March and depart for their new posts
in September. Assignments typically last four years, and
Cypriot diplomats are allowed to serve up to nine consecutive
years abroad; there is no cumulative time-limit for overseas
service over an entire career. Most Cypriot missions are
small, with diplomats working across sections. Even in a
relatively large post like Paris, for example, one contact
shuffled between political, consular, and cultural affairs
offices.

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MOVIN' ON UP, WITHOUT OUTSIDE HELP
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7. (SBU) While divisional and post assignments do not always
reflect personal preferences, promotions are virtually
guaranteed for all MFA employees. All public servants
receive annual evaluations, but more than 95 percent of
government employees garner "excellent" reviews.
Consequentially, employees move up the ranks regardless of
actual job performance; one JO stated that any diplomat who
achieves the rank of second secretary, which usually occurs
after five years with the MFA, almost assuredly will become a
first secretary within two more years and eventually retire
as an ambassador (Reftel). She called the system "very
outdated and problematic," occasionally leading to less than
satisfactory leadership. The government has planned to
investigate the practice of promotions, but for the moment,
"no one really questions the system."


8. (SBU) Nevertheless, certain behaviors can jeopardize a
career at the MFA, including political activity. Political
pressures and perspectives intrude on the functions of many
Cypriot businesses and other government ministries, but
contacts at the MFA repeatedly stressed the general absence
of partisan politics from the ministry's daily work. A
junior diplomat noted that although many diplomats' political
leanings are known, few discuss their beliefs openly with
their colleagues. He attributed this behavior to the MFA's
need to function through political power shifts and to most
diplomats' desire for longevity at the MFA -- outspoken
backing for any particular party or candidate could prove
detrimental after a change in government.


9. (SBU) Like most Cypriot government employees, MFA
diplomats enjoy strong union representation. The Pancyprian
Public Employees Trade Union (PASYDY) has an MFA branch that
focuses on seeking improvements in employment conditions,
salaries, and benefits. PASYDY speaks with a respectable
voice on behalf of its members and seems to have had some
success -- the MFA workday runs only until 1430 most days,

NICOSIA 00000691 003 OF 003


for example. Some diplomats have complained over the union's
constant calls for workforce-wide votes on numerous topics,
however, which have caused a certain degree of apathy,
especially among those serving tours abroad.

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DIPLOMATS FEEL VALUED, SATISFIED
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10. (SBU) The majority of junior and mid-level Cypriot
diplomats appear pleased with their jobs. Despite the
"severe" shortfall in formal training, one believed she was
prepared enough for her first day's work, and that while
additional instruction would have been valuable, the minimal
preparation had made her first year "quite exciting."
Another noted that, since the absence of just one coworker is
felt Ministry-wide, each employee feels valued. Diplomats
expressed their disappointment with some of the bureaucratic
methods that slow many MFA projects, however, and some took
exception to the generational gap in technology use, whereby
many senior officials remained wary of using modern
communications like e-mail.

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COMMENT: SOME OF CYPRUS'S BEST AT WORK
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11. (SBU) The Cypriot MFA is capable and competent despite
its small size and limited budget. The diplomatic corps
draws many of the country's best and brightest to its ranks,
attracted both by public sector perks and a desire for
service to the (Greek Cypriot) nation. The Permanent
Secretary plays the most important role in the development of

SIPDIS
the diplomatic corps, with far more significance than even
the FM. The near-total control of the hiring process,
assignments, and training curriculums gives the incumbent
great leverage to influence the MFA's practices long after
his term ends. Many of the junior diplomats consulted for
this telegram, for example, hold horribly hard lines
vis-a-vis Turkish Cypriots and Turkey, positions mirroring
those of former PermSec and mentor Sotos Zakheous. The MFA's
newest hires are entering during the tenure of Alexander
Zenon, a lower-profile diplomat whose ideology is tougher to
read. We doubt the new JO's will be calling for an end to
"so-called Turkish Cypriot isolation" or lamenting the T/Cs'
lot anytime soon, however.
SCHLICHER