Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who served as the president of France between 1974-1981, died at the age of 94 in his family home in Loir-et-Cher on Wednesday, the family said. Media reported that the politician, aged 94, died of consequences of COVID-19.
"The guidelines set by him for France are still determining our steps. The servant of the state, the politician of progress and freedom: his death is a mourning for the French people. The president of the republic and his wife are expressing sincere condolences to his [d'Estaing's] wife, children and relatives, residents of the Auvergne region, those supporting him and his ideas, as well as the whole French nation," the statement said.
The press service added that d'Estaing made a significant contribution to the development of European integration, as well as the stabilization of the international political and economic situation through the founding of the G7 group of nations.