Former Polish President Lech Walesa has written to the de Marco family to express his heartfelt condolences, saying he was glad he had the possibility to be called his friend.
In his letter, he described Guido de Marco’s loss as great not only for his family and the Maltese, but for the whole European Community.
“He was a great friend of people, always open and prepared for discussion,” Walesa said.
“In this sad hour, I remember all our meetings and discussions about the future of Europe and the world,” wrote the co-founder of Solidarnosc, the Soviet bloc’s first independent trade union, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Eulogies for Prof. de Marco and messages of condolences for his family continued to pour in from Malta and abroad.
Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme, on his own behalf and on behalf of the Presidency of the EU Council and the Belgian government, said: “Prof. de Marco will be remembered as a great statesman in Maltese and European history: it was he who led his country into the EU. For this we are most grateful to him, but he will be remembered for many other qualities too. A great orator, a man of vision and conviction, a true Maltese patriot who was also a great European, he was all this in one person.”
Mevlüt Çavusoglu, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, of which Prof. de Marco was a member for many years, said: “The Maltese people have lost a loyal servant, who worked for European unity throughout his career.” The Malta Union of Professional Psychologists expressed “its deep sympathy at the loss”, adding that Prof. de Marco would be “remembered as a person endowed with great courage and stamina – a statesman who always sought the interest of our country”.
The Chamber of Architects said Prof. de Marco was a man of integrity and an example to all the Maltese. It extended its condolences to his family, especially his son, Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco, and Paul Camilleri, who is married to Prof. de Marco’s daughter Fiorella and served as chamber president for a number of years.
The Augustinian Province thanked Prof. de Marco for collaborating with it throughout the years, especially when he was Foreign Affairs Minister.
“The Augustinian Order saw a true friend in him. He held the Order’s mission in North Africa close to his heart, because it fitted in with his vision for peace in the entire Mediterranean region,” the Province said.
L-Akkademja tal-Malti said Prof. de Marco, whom it counted as an honorary member, was a friend to all Maltese and Gozitans, and a politician who loved his native language.
The Chamber of Advocates said it would be organising a ceremony in Court to “bid a fitting farewell to one of its members”. The ceremony will be held later when the corps of advocates and the judiciary return to Court after the summer break.
All the way from Australia, the Maltese Community Council of Victoria said Prof. de Marco led by example and never feared to fight the cause for justice throughout his long and distinguished political life and professional career.
The council recalled a visit to Australia where he met many community members and friends, “who had left Maltese shores but remained very proud of their origin and heritage”, as well as his attendance at the Convention of Maltese Living Abroad held in Malta last March.
Australian High Commissioner Anne Quinane said she and her staff shared the profound sorrow of the Maltese at the “passing of a great statesman, whose contribution both in his own country and beyond was substantial”.
“Prof. de Marco will long be remembered, not only for his achievements both nationally and internationally but also for his human warmth and generosity of spirit,” she said, adding it was a privilege to know Prof. de Marco in the short time she has been in Malta.