Alex Efthyvoulou, was a ‘legend’ for journalists, said the head of Cyprus journalist union Giorgos Frangos in his eulogy for the late reporter on Friday.

Friends, relatives and colleagues of the 97-year-old reporter Alex Efthyvoulou gathered at the Ayiou Konstantinou ke Elenis church to bid a final farewell. Among those present were the Deputy Government Spokesperson, Yiannis Antoniou, and representatives of political parties.

In his eulogy, the head of the Cyprus Union of Journalists, Giorgos Frangos, praised the work and contributions of the deceased to Cypriot journalism. Frangos described him as a journalist of international stature who remained active for 62 consecutive years.

“He was a legend for all journalists of the younger generations,” Frangos said, adding that Efthyvoulou’s dedication, professionalism, consistency, seriousness, thoroughness, and integrity were a source of inspiration and a guiding light for everyone.

Efthyvoulou was a correspondent for the international news agency Associated Press for decades, covering conflicts in the Near and Middle East, including all Arab-Israeli wars. He was an eyewitness reporter on Sunday, March 3, 1957, during the Battle of Machairas, when the British surrounded Grigoris Afxentiou’s hideout and killed him by lighting it up on fire.

He received recognition from the International Human Rights Association in the 1980s and was honoured in 2015 by the Cyprus Union of Journalists, of which he was a founding member, for his significant contributions to Cypriot media. This came after his retirement from journalism in 2002.

“He honoured the Union, and in turn, the Union honoured him in 2015,” Frangos recalled, noting how Alex Efthyvoulou will always hold a prominent place in the history of the Union and Cypriot journalism.

Frangos concluded the eulogy with a farewell to Alex Efthyvoulou in Russian, his mother’s native language.