GEORGE VASILIOU

George Vasiliou was born in 1931 in Famagusta, . He served as President of the Republic of Cyprus 1988-93. He was the founder and leader of the United Democrats party (EDI).

He was elected president with the support of the left-wing party, AKEL in 1988. He worked towards a negotiated solution to the Cyprus Problem based on the Ghali set of ideas, although the dispute remained unresolved by the time he left office in 1993.

After he lost the elections to Glafkos Klerides, he founded the party of the Free Democrats. He was elected member of the Cypriot Parliament in the Parliamentary Elections of 1996. The same year the party was merged with the political party ADISOK and formed a new party of the United Democrats.

As an economist and successful businessman ex-president Vasiliou was chosen by President Glafkos Clerides to serve as the Chief Negotiator for the accession of Cyprus to the EU from 1998 to 2003. His expertise together with his practical, technocratic approach were significant factors in facilitating the smooth completion of the accession process.

GIANNOS KRANIDIOTIS

Giannos Kranidiotis was born on September 25, 1947, in , Cyprus and died on September 14, 1999, in an airplane disaster. Although Greek-Cypriot in origin he pursued a political and diplomatic career in .

He served as member of the Panhellenic Socialist Party (PASOK) from 1976, and he was an advisor on the Cyprus Problem to prime minister from 1981 to 1984.

He also held a number of important posts at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs: secretary of European affairs (1984–1989), deputy foreign minister (July 8, 1994–January 1995 and from February 3, 1997), and alternate foreign minister (February 19, 1999 until his untimely death in 1999).

Kranidiotis also served as a Member of the European Parliament (1995–1997) and was elected a member of PASOK's Central Committee in March 1999.

Giannos Kranidiotis is regarded as the father of Cypriot accession to the EU, as he was a big promoter of this project, noting that Cyprus' EU accession procedures would force Turkey to reconsider its policy on the Cyprus issue.

TASSOS NIKOLAOU PAPADOPOULOS

Tassos Nikolaou Papadopoulos has been the president of The Republic of Cyprus since 2003. He was born in Nicosia, Cyprus and studied law in London (Gray's Inn, Barrister-at-Law). For 12 years he served successively as Minister of the Interior, Minister of Finance, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Minister of Health and Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He represented Cyprus at many international conferences, particularly the annual congresses of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Furthermore he represented the Greek Cypriot community in many recourses by Cyprus filed at the United Nations and the Council of Europe. Until his election he practiced law in Nicosia. He was a member of the National Council, Chairman of the Standing Parliamentary Committee on European Affairs and member of the Committee on Selection and the Committee on Financial and Budgetary Affairs. He was also Co-chairman of the Joint Cyprus-EU Parliamentary Committee. From 1970 onwards he served a number of terms as member of the House of Representatives. In 2003 has won the Presidential elections: As Presedent of the Republic of Cyprus he had responsibility for the final stages of the accession negotiations and officially signed the entry of the Republic of Cyprus into the European Union on 1st May 2004.