Former President of the Republic of Cyprus George Vassiliou has died, at the age of 94.
In a post on X, his wife Androulla Vassiliou announced his 13 January death, saying that after two years of suffering, "my beloved George, my life partner for 59 years, passed away peacefully in our arms," at the Nicosia General Hospital.
It is difficult to say goodbye to this man who was an excellent husband and father, a man full of kindness and love for his country and people, she added.
Former President of the Republic George Vassiliou was born in Famagusta on 20 May 1931. His father was ophthalmologist Vassos Vassiliou and his mother the dentist Fofo Vassiliou. Following his high school studies, he studied economics at the Universities of Geneva, Vienna and Budapest.
He held a PhD in economics from the University of Budapest. In London, he specialised in marketing and market research. He married Androulla Vassiliou with whom he had two daughters and a son.
Vassiliou worked as an economist/market researcher for the Reed Paper Group in the United Kingdom. In 1962, he returned to Cyprus, where he founded the Middle East Research Centre (KEMA).
He also founded, in 1984, the Middle East Centre for Management Studies as well as a similar institution for computer studies in collaboration with similar well-known business schools and the National Computer Centre of the United Kingdom.
In 1988 he was elected President of the Republic of Cyprus. While running as an independent candidate in the presidential elections, Vassiliou was supported by both AKEL and various independent individuals.
As President of the Republic of Cyprus from the beginning of 1988 onwards, George Vassiliou made particular efforts towards finding a just solution to the Cyprus problem.
George Vassiliou, who was not re-elected President, remained active in politics and in 1993 founded the Movement of Free Democrats, which participated for the first time in parliamentary elections in May 1996. Later, the Movement of Free Democrats merged with ADISOK and the United Democrats movement was founded. George Vassiliou subsequently served as Honorary President of the movement.
During his presidency term, Cyprus submitted an application for EU accession. Later, during the presidency of Glafkos Clerides, George Vassiliou took over as head of the negotiating team for Cyprus' accession to the Union, responsible for the entire work of harmonisation and adoption and implementation of the acquis communautaire, an effort that was completed successfully. For this important work, decisive for the course of the island's historic trajectory, in October 2002 he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Cyprus, the highest distinction of the Republic of Cyprus.
George Vassiliou has also been awarded the title of Honorary Doctor by the Universities of Athens and Thessaloniki, the Budapest University of Economics and the University of Economic Studies in Belgrade. He has also been awarded medals and honorary distinctions from France, Greece, Austria, Hungary, Egypt, Italy, Yugoslavia, Syria and Portugal.
(Source: CNA)
Also read: George Vassiliou's view of what makes an effective business leader
