Cyprus bid farewell to Defence Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos on Monday, who died on Saturday. He was buried in his home town of Larnaca.
Mitsopoulos, the 48-year-old protégé of President Nicos Anastasiades, died after suffering a ruptured cerebral aneurysm.
He had only taken up his new portfolio a week before collapsing in his office on Friday. Mitsopoulos was rushed to hospital but died a day later, despite the efforts of the doctors at the Nicosia General Hospital, as well as specialist neurosurgeons from Israel and Greece.
Also attending the funeral was Greek national defence minister Demetris Avramopoulos, with whom Mitsopoulos had worked during his political career in Greece. He was representing Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
President Nicos Anastasiades delivered a heartfelt eulogy but the farewell from Mitsopoulos’ daughter Hara, summed up what the man was all about.
“Your name is your greatest legacy. Thank you for being who you were. We are so proud that you were our father. I haven’t got much more to say, other than thank you for the memories,” she said.
“Thank you for teaching me dignity and a sense of morality … thank you for teaching me the huge importance of love. I believe that you had much more to offer to the country but God wanted you by his side. Thank you. We will never forget you.”
Draped in the Cypriot and Greek flags, Mitsopoulos’ casket arrived on a gun carriage followed by his wife Katerina, daughter Hara, and son Aris, flanked by military police officers.
People lined the street outside the church as a military guard presented arms.
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