By Jean Christou
GREECE’S Deputy Foreign Minister, Cypriot-born Yiannos Kranidiotis, 51, and his only son Nicolas, 23, who were killed in an aircraft accident on Tuesday night, were buried in Athens yesterday.
The funeral was held at the Church of Dionysos Areopayitou in the Greek capital and presided over by the Patriarch of Greece and Archbishop of Athens, Christodoulos, the Patriarch of Alexandria, Petros, and the Patriarch of Armenia and Archbishop of Tyre, Anastassios.
Among those who addressed the thousands who turned out to pay their respects were Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, House Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis and Foreign Minister George Papandreou.
Simitis told mourners Kranidiotis’ death was “a great loss for Greece and Cyprus”.
Cyprus was represented by Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides and House President Spyros Kyprianou.
President Glafcos Clerides is currently in New York to attend the UN General Assembly and was unable to change his schedule.
Speaking at the service, Cassoulides said: “Cyprus, an inseparable piece of the nation is mourning for the death of a distinguished child of hers. Cyprus is mourning with all of Hellenism for the premature, unfair and unanswerable loss of Yiannos Kranidiotis and his son.”
In his brief address, Kyprianou questioned why such a tragic event had happened.
“It’s an event that will unite all of us independently of any differences,” he said. He said both nations were in shock over what had happened to someone “serving the national interest and the interests of all Hellenism”.
“I don’t think I can add any more,” Kyprianou said. “I can’t to be honest. I think he offered a huge amount and we all know it and appreciate it.”
Socialist Edek leader Vassos Lyssarides, who was the one to break the news to Kranidiotis’ mother in Nicosia in the early hours of Wednesday also spoke at the service.
Kranidiotis was one of the founding members of Edek and Lyssarides is a close family friend.
“When the mourning later begins to lift and the excusable and emotional explosions of today cease, when our touched lives go back to their normal rhythm, then it will be realised even more the gap that Yiannos Kranidiotis left behind,” Lyssarides said. “Because he was not just a passive handler of political issues he was at the heart of it all.”
After the church service, Kranidiotis and his son were buried at the First Cemetery in Athens.
Kranidiotis, his only son and four others died when the plane they were travelling in suddenly plunged thousands of feet before the pilot managed to land at Bucharest Airport late on Tuesday night. Seven others, mostly journalists accompanying Kranidiotis on the official trip, were injured.
The government on Wednesday declared three days of national mourning and flags flew at half mast on all public buildings.
According to CyBC radio yesterday the black box from the Falcon jet on which Kranidiotis and his entourage had been travelling has been sent to Germany and the Greek government is awaiting the results.
