Greek political leaders, family, friends, and many citizens gathered at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens on Thursday to pay their final respects to Greece’s former Prime Minister Costas Simitis, who died on Sunday.

Among the mourners were Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and House president Annita Demetriou, who travelled to Athens to honour Simitis’ pivotal role in modern Greek and Cypriot history.

“With deep sorrow, we bid farewell to Costas Simitis, a distinguished personality in Greece’s contemporary political landscape,” Christodoulides wrote in a social media post.

He praised Simitis’ vision for modernisation and his unwavering dedication to European integration, adding that his cooperation with former Cypriot President Glafkos Clerides was crucial for Cyprus’ accession to the European Union.

In a eulogy, Greek Prime Minister Kyriacos Mitsotakis described Simitis as a “fighter for democracy” whose legacy would be evaluated by history.

“He was a leader who, alongside his political duties, found time for reading and cultural pursuits, and truly cherished his roles as husband and father,” Mitsotakis said.

President of the Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou praised Simitis’ steadfast defence of democracy, saying he consistently upheld democratic principles with passion and reason.

“He shunned populism and empty rhetoric, favouring measured, thoughtful discourse. His modernisation agenda was not merely a political programme but a continuous institutional and societal exercise,” Sakellaropoulou remarked.

Simitis, who served as Greece’s prime minister from 1996 to 2004, left a lasting impact on the country’s political and economic landscape.

He is widely remembered for steering Greece towards economic stability and strengthening its position within the European Union.