Nina Iliescu, the wife of former President Ion Iliescu gives thanks to those who organized the funeral and attended the service, as well as to the close friends who have supported the family in the last period.

'On the hardest day of my life, which meant a full life alongside Ion Iliescu, I want to give thanks to all those who organized, supported and attended the funeral of the first president of free and democratic Romania. I want to thank you for responding to dignity with dignity, with love and appreciation to his devotion and service for Romania. I thank the doctors and medical personnel who made tremendous efforts, in the past two months, to prevent the illness from taking him more harshly and more swiftly,' Nina Iliescu wrote on the blog called ioniliescu.wordpress.com.

She also thanked those who paid tribute to Ion Iliescu from various parts of the country.

'I am grateful to all those who participated today in the solemn ceremony of a worldly farewell, but also to those who paid a sincere tribute from various parts of the country, people I do not know, but with whom I have shared the love for the country and for Ion Iliescu. For me it is an immense sorrow, eased by the honor with which you said your goodbye from a man, a leader, a friend, an adversary. I hold respect to all those who stood closed by me and cared for the mourning of my heart,' Nina Iliescu mentioned.

Romania's former President Ion Iliescu was laid to rest on Thursday, with military honors, at the Ghencea III Military Cemetery.

Ion Iliescu passed away on Tuesday, at the 'Agrippa Ionescu' Hospital in Bucharest. He was 95 years old.

For two days, state funerals were held in memory of the man who led Romania between 1990 and 1992, 1992 and 1996, 2000 and 2004. Thursday was declared a national mourning day, with the Romanian flag flown at half-mast. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Irinela Visan; EN - writing by: Rodica State)