Demetriou highlights Vassiliou’s legacy on Cyprus’ EU path and institutions

Nicosia, Cyprus. House President Annita Demetriou said former president George Vassiliou set Cyprus on the path towards European integration and pursued a lasting settlement to the Cyprus problem during his 1988-1993 presidency.

Speaking at a conference on Saturday examining Vassiliou’s presidential legacy, Demetriou described his 1990 application for Cyprus to join the European Economic Community as a defining moment in the state’s modern history.

Institutional reforms and European course

Demetriou cited the establishment of the University of Cyprus, the country’s first public university, as well as reforms to the tax system and civil service during Vassiliou’s presidency.

She said Vassiliou, the first president without a previous background in party politics, was “a very progressive man, far ahead of his time” who governed as “the president of all Cypriots”, emphasising pluralism and engagement with the wider world.

Cyprus problem efforts

Demetriou said Vassiliou’s diplomatic efforts on the Cyprus problem included meetings with George Bush and Margaret Thatcher and culminated in the United Nations’ Ghali set of ideas in July 1992.

She also referred to his later cooperation with his successor and political rival, Glafkos Clerides, who appointed him to lead Cyprus’ EU accession negotiating team.

Demetriou described their cooperation as an example of “two great politicians, rivals, putting aside differences” to achieve “the greatest diplomatic success in the nation’s history”.

Personal tribute

Vassiliou’s wife, former European commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, described him as modest, humorous and devoted to his family.

She said she had “the privilege of walking alongside George Vassiliou for 60 years”, sharing both “hardship and joy”.

“History has its own way of evaluating leaders,” she said, adding that leaders are judged not only by success or failure but also by whether they “dared to open new paths”.