Filenews 14 January 2026
The former President of the Republic of Cyprus, George Vassiliou, passed away at the age of 94.
The news of the loss was announced in a post on social media, by his wife Androulla Vassiliou.
As she mentions,''after 2 years of suffering, my beloved George, my life partner for 59 years, passed away quietly in our arms tonight at the General Hospital. It is difficult to part with this man who was an excellent husband and father, a man full of kindness and love for his place and people.''
Giorgos Vassiliou had been transferred to Nicosia General Hospital, where he had been hospitalized since January 6, 2026 with a respiratory tract infection.
George Vassiliou was the 3rd president of the Republic of Cyprus, after Archbishop Makarios and Spyros Kyprianou.
He was elected President of the Republic on February 21, 1988 and his term expired on February 28, 1993.
As President of the Republic of Cyprus, he made great efforts to find a just solution to the Cyprus problem.
During his presidency, an application was submitted for the accession of Cyprus to the European Union. Later, during the presidency of Glafkos Clerides, George Vassiliou took over as head of the Negotiating Delegation for the accession of Cyprus to the European Union. He was responsible for the whole work of harmonizing and implementing the acquis communautaire. The effort was crowned with absolute success.
For this great work, in October 2002 he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Cyprus, which is the highest distinction of the Republic of Cyprus.
Photo: Dimitris Vattis
