Cyprus’ Labor and Social Insurance Minister, Zeta Emilianidou, passed away on Monday in Athens at the age of 68.
Emilianidou had been receiving treatment at a specialised clinic in Athens for the past few weeks after having suffered a brain aneurysm.
In a tweet, Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiades, expressed his condolences to her family for their sudden loss.
“I’m deeply saddened,” Anastasiades wrote. “Zeta will be missed by all of us. But mainly by our countrymen who are losing an honest, intelligent and effective minister.”
The Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed deep sorrow on Twitter, noting that Emilianidou “was a very capable woman who graced political and public life with her work and contribution.”
Emilianidou was born in Nicosia, Cyprus. She graduated with a law degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and earned a diploma in Marketing Management from the Cyprus Institute of Marketing. She passed the Cyprus Bar Association examinations and was a registered lawyer since 1978.
From 2010 to 2013, she served as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism, as well as President of the Cyprus Energy Foundation and the Special Fund for Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Saving.
On April 3, 2013, she was appointed by the President to the position of Minister of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance of the Republic of Cyprus. As Minister, she promoted a series of reforms, with particular emphasis on social welfare issues, worker’s rights and gender equality issues.
Source: Cyprus Mail.