Nicos A. Rolandis was born in Limassol, Cyprus in December 1934. He graduated the Pancyprian Gymnasium in 1952. He studied law in London at the Middle Temple and he became a Barrister-at-Law.
He practised as a lawyer for a short while. Thereafter he became involved in business and he became one of the owners and the CEO of a major industrial group for many years.
In 1976 he became one of the founding members of the Democratic Movement which later on was renamed as Democratic Party.
In March 1978 he was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He resigned in September 1983 as a result of a dispute with President Kyprianou in regard to the handling of the Cyprus problem.
In September 1986 he founded the Liberal Party of which he was the elected President until March 1998, when the Party decided to merge with the Democratic Rally Party.
From May 1991 until May 1996 he was a member of the House of Representatives.
In July 1993 the Governments of Cyprus and Greece, by their respective decisions and communiques, supported Mr. Rolandis for the post of U.N. Secretary-General for the period 1997-2001. Eventually only candidates from Africa were considered.
In September 1994 Mr. Rolandis was elected Vice-President of Liberal International and he served until 1998.
He was one of the seven candidates in the presidential elections of February 1998. Eventually Mr. Glafcos Clerides was elected and Mr. Rolandis was appointed in March 1998 as Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism in the government of “wide acceptance” formed by Mr. Clerides. He served until February 2003, when Mr. Clerides’ term of office expired.
During his term of office in the above Ministry (which includes the portfolio of Energy), Mr. Rolandis was the pioneer who initiated efforts and pursued strongly the issue of the offshore oil and gas reserves of Cyprus. He contacted many countries (Egypt, United States, Russia, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Algeria). On the 17th February 2003 he signed in Cairo an Agreement delineating the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of Cyprus and Egypt, the first EEZ agreement signed in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Over the years many political, economic, development and energy issues have been addressed through interviews and articles by Mr. Rolandis.
Mr. Rolandis was decorated by the Governments of Austria, Greece and Yugoslavia.
He showed an interest in literature and poetry and he published a book of poetry in 1958.
He is married. Wife: Lelia. Children: Melita, Ariana, Andreas.