Former Greek prime minister Kostas Simitis has died at the age of 88

Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis died at the age of 88. This was reported on January 5 by the Associated Press (AP) agency with reference to local media.

Simitis was taken to the hospital from his home near Athens without signs of life.

"It is with sadness and respect that I bid farewell to Costas Simitis. A worthy and honorable political opponent. To the prime minister who accompanied Greece in its great national steps: the accession to the eurozone and the euro, as well as the entry of Cyprus into Europe," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on his social media accounts.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of the politician's death.

Costas Simitis was born on June 23, 1936 in Piraeus. The politician held the post of Prime Minister of Greece from 1996 to 2004. The main achievement of Simitis was the initiation of the country's transition to a single European currency - the euro.