Nicosia, Cyprus. Former Cyprus president George Vassiliou, who died on Tuesday at the age of 94, will be laid to rest on Saturday. He will be given a state funeral at Ayia Sofia cathedral in Strovolos before burial at the Aglandjia municipal cemetery.
State funeral arrangements
Vassiliou’s body will be taken to the Ayia Sofia cathedral in the Nicosia suburb of Strovolos on a gun carriage. He will then be buried at the Aglandjia municipal cemetery.
Eulogies and condolences
Incumbent President Nikos Christodoulides, University of Cyprus rector Tasos Christofides, and Vassiliou’s son Evelthon Vassiliou are expected to deliver eulogies.
A book of condolences was signed by various dignitaries, including Christodoulides, who wrote that “until the end of his life, he was dedicated to the effort to resolve the Cyprus problem and the reunification of our homeland”.
Statements from family and former leaders
On Friday, Vassiliou’s widow Androula Vassiliou said Cyprus would have been a very different country had he served a second presidential term. She said he “established the republic and laid the foundations of the modern state,” adding that his narrow defeat to Glafcos Clerides in the 1993 election prevented him from completing reforms he had begun.
“For a few hundred votes, he did not have the chance to continue his work. With a second term, Cyprus would have been different,” she said. She described him as a “workaholic who pursued his goals with determination”, and said public reaction following his death showed widespread recognition of his contribution.
Former president Nicos Anastasiades, described as Cyprus’ only surviving former president, called Vassiliou “an emblematic figure in the modern political history of Cyprus, who worked with steadfast commitment for the further modernisation of the state”. Anastasiades wrote that Vassiliou “served the country with consistency and responsibility, contributing substantially both to efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem and to our homeland’s European path”.
What do you remember most about George Vassiliou’s time in public life?