‘Architect’ of Cyprus’ EU course commemorated
The memory of Greece’s former Deputy Foreign Minister Yannos Kranidiotis and six other people who were killed in September 1999 after the government plane that was carrying them suddenly lost altitude over Romania was honored on Wednesday by the Cultural Foundation of the Journalist Union of Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA) and the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Athens.
The event held at the building of ESIEA was addressed by Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, who described Kranidiotis as a rare breed of politician that laid the groundwork, starting in 1994, for the island republic’s eventual accession to the European Union in 2004.
Cyprus’ accession, Christodoulides said, secured in the decisive summit in Corfu in June 1994, “was the result of Kranidiotis’ intense activity and diplomatic actions.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said Kranidiotis “was indeed the architect of Cyprus’ European course… who saw very quickly what it means for Cyprus to be a full member.”
