Nicosia: Former President of the Republic George Vassiliou was laid to rest on Saturday at Aglantzia Municipal Cemetery following a state funeral conducted with the honors accorded to a serving head of state.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the burial followed a funeral service at the Church of Holy Wisdom in Strovolos. Earlier in the day, Vassiliou's body was transferred to the church on a gun carriage, accompanied by the Police Philharmonic Band. The family received condolences before the service began. As the coffin departed the church, the band played mournful marches and those present applauded in a prolonged gesture of respect.
The family followed the coffin in visible emotion. Vassiliou's widow, Androulla Vassiliou, was supported by their son, Evelthon, as the cortege formed for the final journey. Immediately behind them walked President Nikos Christodoulides and First Lady Philippa Karsera-Christodoulides, alongside the full Cabinet and Greece's Foreign Minister, Giorgos Gerapetritis. The procession then proceeded to Aglantzia, where the burial was accompanied by honorary volleys.
Senior officials and guests attended the farewell, reflecting the head-of-state honors accorded to the late leader. Greece was represented by Foreign Minister Gerapetritis, who delivered a eulogy. Tributes were also delivered by President Christodoulides, University of Cyprus Rector Tasos Christofides, Michalis Papapetrou on behalf of Vassiliou's associates, and Vassiliou's son, Evelthon. A condolence message from former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci was conveyed through an associate.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman visited the Church of Agia Sophia (Tou Theou Sofia) on Saturday morning to offer condolences to the family of former President George Vassiliou. Former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat also attended the church to convey his sympathies.
In his eulogy, President Christodoulides described Vassiliou as 'a distinguished, virtuous, and beneficial man-cosmopolitan and universal,' and said that 'today we bid farewell to Giorgos Vassiliou.' He emphasized the former president's lifelong priority of reaching a settlement to the Cyprus problem and achieving the reunification of the island. He also noted Vassiliou's modernising reforms and his decisive role in Cyprus' European course, including through the accession negotiations.
Speaking on behalf of Greece, Gerapetritis paid tribute to Vassiliou as 'a pragmatist' who helped lay the foundations of modern Cyprus, praising his calm temperament, conciliatory spirit, and personal integrity. He said Vassiliou 'set the foundations for the Cyprus of the 21st century,' highlighting his role in establishing the University of Cyprus as a landmark in the island's educational tradition. On the Cyprus problem, Gerapetritis recalled Vassiliou's commitment to international law and to engaging the international community, saying Cyprus continues the late leader's 'just struggle' in alignment with Greece. He described Vassiliou's contribution to Cyprus's accession to the European Union-leading the negotiating team-as the 'opus magnum' of his public life, noting that Cyprus was technically prepared by the time the political process concluded.
Other speakers reflected on the late president's public service and personal character. Papapetrou, former Government Spokesperson and a close associate, described Vassiliou's death as a major national loss, recalling a leader who remained accessible and pursued modernisation, including by confronting clientelism and promoting rational public administration, while keeping reunification as a strategic compass. Rector Christofides called him the 'political founder' of the University of Cyprus, praising his decisiveness in creating a public university and his insistence on academic autonomy protected from partisan dependence.
Evelthon Vassiliou, speaking on behalf of the family, blended personal memories with public milestones. He recalled a father who made time for his children, 'saw the future and built on it,' and believed Cypriots could only be secure through reconciliation. He also underlined what he called his father's defining respect for people across society and his early, instinctive belief in gender equality.
A condolence message from Mustafa Akinci was read during the service by his associate, Meltem Onurkan Samani. Before reading the message, she shared an anecdote about Vassiliou's support for bicommunal dialogue initiatives even in difficult periods, stressing that 'peace cannot wait for perfect political conditions' but must be 'nurtured, protected, and built, even when the atmosphere is hostile.' She summarised his political lesson in two lines: 'Dialogue is not weakness, but responsibility,' and Cyprus can only move forward through 'compromise, dignity, and reconciliation.' In Akinci's message, Vassiliou was described as one of the few political figures 'genuinely committed to a reasonable and viable solution,' who continued working for reunification within a mutually acceptable federal framework.
Emotion had already been palpable on Friday during a public viewing at the same church, when people of all ages-colleagues and ordinary citizens-arrived to pay their respects, leaving flowers and messages in the condolence book. Androulla Vassiliou, grief-stricken but proud, spoke of her husband's legacy and said he died with an enduring longing for reunification, expressing hope that the democratic principles and unity he championed would not be lost.
George Vassiliou, the third President of the Republic of Cyprus, died aged 94 late on Tuesday.