Tasos Mitsopoulos

**Tasos Mitsopoulos**
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**Early Life and Education**

Tasos Mitsopoulos was born on May 30, 1965, in Larnaca, Cyprus. His father was a Greek army officer, while his mother hailed from Larnaca. Mitsopoulos spent his student years between Athens and Larnaca.

He studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

**Career**

Mitsopoulos began his career as a member of the Youth of the Democratic Rally (NEDISY) from 1978 to 2000. He then served as Vice-President and Secretary-General of the Youth of the European People's Party from 1989 to 1993. During this period, he was also a special adviser to the Greek Foreign Ministry.

In 2006, Mitsopoulos was elected to the Cypriot Parliament as a member of DISY for the constituency of Larnaca and was re-elected in the following parliamentary elections in 2011.

**Government Positions**

When Nikos Anastasiadis became President of Cyprus in 2013, he brought Mitsopoulos into his cabinet as Minister of Communications. After DIKO left the governing coalition, Mitsopoulos succeeded DIKO politician Fotis Fotiou as Minister of Defence on March 14, 2014.

**Personal Life and Death**

Mitsopoulos was married to Katerina Vatis and had a son and a daughter. He spoke English, French, and Greek fluently.

Tragically, Mitsopoulos died on March 22, 2014, at the age of 48, after suffering an intracerebral hemorrhage the day before.

**References**

* "Cyprus mourns Mitsopoulos", incyprus.philenews.com, 22. March 2014