Hundreds attend George Vassiliou’s state funeral

Hundreds of people attended the state funeral of George Vassiliou, the former president who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 94 at the Ayia Sofia cathedral in the Nicosia suburb of Strovolos on Saturday.

He was transported on the back of a gun carriage, and his arrival at the cathedral was greeted with a gun salute, with his widow Androulla Vassiliou leading the mourners. Following the service, he was buried at the Aglandjia municipal cemetery.

The funeral was attended by President Nikos Christodoulides and every member of the current cabinet, as well as Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. Current Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman also offered his condolences to the family in person but did not stay for the funeral.

Christodoulides read the first eulogy, saying that Vassiliou “never forgot that the quintessence of life is found in the simple and everyday, as defined by the value system and needs of people, regardless of colour, race, religion, ideology, party preference, or origin”.

“This characteristic of his, this view, made him cosmopolitan and universal. It allowed him to feel comfortable in any place, anywhere in the world, and with any person. The accuracy and speed of his thinking were the key to everything else he encountered and faced in his long life,” he said.

He went on to speak of tax reforms enacted under Vassiliou’s presidency as well as “structural changes in public administration” and the creation of the University of Cyprus, but then turned to a very personal recollection.

“Most importantly for me, at the age of 15 when he was elected in 1988, was that every citizen of this country felt free to express himself, without any concerns, without any fear, over his political beliefs,” he said.

“We must all recognise the determination and boldness of George Vassiliou in implementing the important changes which our country needed, despite the reactions from those who preferred the easy path of inertia and stagnation.”

He added that Vassiliou’s contribution to Cyprus’ accession to the European Union was “decisive”, before going on to describe him as “free-spirited, undogmatic, and consistent in his beliefs”.

“I feel moved because I have the privilege to see you off on behalf of the Cypriot state and to address you the painful last farewell, together with the gratitude which will forever accompany your memory, as a man of renown, virtue, and benefit, who took our country higher and drove it further forward,” he said. 

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis spoke in his eulogy of Vassiliou’s “erudition and deep democratic consciousness”, adding that Vassiliou “elevated the art of composition to an axiom of life”.

Vassiliou had “laid the foundations for the Cyprus of the 21st century” by “creating a modern and dynamic state despite the trauma of the invasion”.

Later in his eulogy, he made reference to the University of Cyprus, describing its creation as “a major milestone in the island’s long and illustrious educational history”.

He then spoke about the Cyprus problem, speaking of Vassiliou’s “commitment to international law and activation of the international factor”, and adding that “Cyprus continues George Vassiliou’s just fight with the complete solidarity of the Hellenic Republic”.

In addition, he made reference to Vassiliou’s contribution to Cyprus’ accession to the EU, describing the island’s joining of the bloc in 2004 as Vassiliou’s “magnum opus”.

“This process was carried out by George Vassiliou in an exemplary manner, with the result that Cyprus was also ready at a technical level when the political process for its accession was completed,” he said.

Vassiliou was a “pragmatic patriot who refrained from demagoguery and easy slogans”, he said and concluded his eulogy by saying that “Cyprus and all of Hellenism bids you farewell as a worthy child who left an indelible mark on the island’s current identity”.

The words of George Vassiliou’s son, Evelthon Vassiliou, were among the most moving of the ceremony.

Addressing his father directly, he said, “you lived a full life, a life with meaning, a life of service, safe travels my father.”

He spoke of his deep pride in his father, describing him as a man ahead of his time, and that his ethos left an indelible mark on his family that “that honesty should not be taken for granted in leaders”.

Reference was also made to the tireless efforts of George Vassiliou towards the Cyprus problem in a funeral eulogy sent on behalf of former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and read by his representative Meltem Samani.

In the message, Vassiliou was described as a leader committed to the reunification of the island, who attached particular importance to dialogue with the Turkish Cypriots towards a viable and lasting settlement.

Speaking on behalf of his associates, veteran politician Michalis Papapetrou said that Vassiliou’s tenure marked a leap forward for Cyprus and left an indelible imprint.

He said that from the very beginning of his presidency, Vassiliou identified the dangers posed by the unresolved Cyprus problem and placed the national issue at the centre of his priorities.

He expressed regret that during his time in office there were no Turkish Cypriot interlocutors willing to move beyond entrenched positions, and then when one finally came of fruition it was not Vassiliou at the helm.

He concluded with the words, “You can rest easy, you have more than fulfilled your duty to Cyprus.”

The rector of the University of Cyprus, Tasos Christofides, remarked that Vassiliou was not only an integral part of the institution’s history, but something more.

Without his persistence, the university would not exist in its current form, he said, describing Vassiliou as a democrat and a truly free minded man who remained distant from political dependencies.

He recalled the awarding of an honorary doctorate to Vassiliou in 2003 as a modest recognition of a politician who understood that the only future of Cyprus lay within Europe.

He said that Vassiliou leaves behind a huge legacy and a beacon for those invested in their country’s affairs, adding that he will always be part of the university’s illustrious history.

On Friday, Androulla Vassiliou had said that Cyprus would have been a very different country had he served a second presidential term.

“He established the republic and laid the foundations of the modern state,” she said, adding that his narrow defeat to Glafcos Clerides in the 1993 election had prevented him from completing the 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 described her late husband as a “workaholic who pursued his goals with determination”, and said public reaction following his death showed widespread recognition of his contribution.