Neocles Silikiotis

Neocles Silikiotis (alternative spelling Sylikiotis) is the current Interior Minister of the Republic of Cyprus.

Silikiotis was born in Lemesos on January 24, 1959. He studied in the Polytechnic Institute of Aachen, Germany, returning to Cyprus in 1987.

Silikiotis became actively involved in politics joining the left-wing AKEL party. He stood unsuccessfully for both the Cyprus House of Representatives and the European Parliament.

In 2006, he was appointed Interior Minister. In January, 2007, after the death of Pefkios Georgiadis, Silikiotis also took on the Ministry of the Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus.

Silikiotis resigned his post in July 2007, after AKEL pulled out of the coalition led by President Tasos Papadopoulos. He was reinstated after the February 2008 election victory by AKEL Chairman Dimitris Christofias.