President offers condolences on the passing of Barbara Bush

President Nicos Anastasiades sent a message of condolence to former US Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush on the passing of the former First Lady of the United States of America Barbara Bush, wife and mother of the two former US leaders respectively.

In his message, the President of the Republic said: "It is with deep sorrow that I received the news about the passing of Barbara Bush, former First Lady of the United States of America.

We will always remember Barbara Bush for her commitment and dedication to public service, her generosity and extensive charity work, as well as for her devotion to her family and her country.

During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with her family and her loved ones, to whom we send our heartfelt condolences."

A private funeral for former U.S. first lady Barbara Bush, the only American woman to see her husband and son both sworn in as president, will be held on Saturday at a Houston church where her family has been members since the 1950s, officials said.

Bush, the wife of the 41st president, George H.W. Bush, and mother of the 43rd, George W. Bush, died on Tuesday at the age of 92.

After the funeral at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Bush will be buried on Saturday on the grounds of the George H.W. Bush Library and Museum at Texas A&M University in College Station, about 100 miles (160 km) away, the university said.

She will be buried beside her daughter, Robin, who died at the age of 3 after battling leukaemia, the university said in a statement late on Tuesday.

According to some news media reports, Bush had been battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart problems in recent years.

The only other woman to be both wife and mother of U.S. presidents was Abigail Adams, the first lady from 1797 to 1801. She was a major influence on husband John Adams, the nation’s second president, but died before son John Quincy Adams was elected president in 1824.