Cypriot Ambassador to Romania found dead in his home

The ambassador of Cyprus to Romania, Filippos Kritiotis, was found dead inside his house in Bucharest.

The country's police announced that they have started an investigation into the death of the diplomat. He passed away on Saturday night.

According to preliminary data, he had heart problems, but the exact cause of death will be determined after an autopsy.

His death was officially announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus.

"It is with deep sadness and emotion that we say goodbye to our distinguished colleague, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Bucharest, Filippos Kritiotis, who passed away suddenly on Sunday morning. Filippos Kritiotis was a member of our Diplomatic Service for twenty-seven years and served consistently and zealously, among others, as High Commissioner of Cyprus in Australia and Ambassador of Cyprus in Finland and Romania. He was distinguished for his kindness, diligence and ethos. He was beloved among his colleagues and his offer was commendable and multifaceted," the announcement stated.

The ambassador has been in office since July 2019. He was born on August 14, 1957 in the city of Paphos, in Western Cyprus, and is survived by his wife, and daughter.

Elsewhere in Cypriot-Romanian relations, health authorities in Cyprus on Saturday announced that a new coronavirus patient was a close contact of someone who had travelled from Romania recently, bringing the total number of infections since the outbreak to 1,014.

The individual who tested positive was a close contact of a person who arrived from Romania and was in Cyprus until July 6, Financial Mirror reported.

After returning to Romania, the woman was informed that her mother had contracted the virus there.

When the woman arrived in Cyprus, she had presented a negative coronavirus test, the ministry said.

The Ministry of Health said it had carried out six tests on contacts of known coronavirus cases.