Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (Greek: Γλαύκος Ιωάννου Κληρίδης; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Cypriot statesman, who served as President of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003.

A barrister and former Royal Air Force pilot, Clerides played an important role in the Cypriot struggle for independence, first as a member of the anti-colonial guerrilla organization EOKA and later in the drafting of the country's constitution.

He then served as the first Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1960 to 1976, and briefly took over the presidency of Cyprus on an interim basis following the failure of the 1974 coup, overseeing the island's defence amidst the Turkish invasion.

[11] During the 1955-59 Cypriot War of Independence, he served in EOKA under the pseudonym 'Hyperides' and defended many of the organization's fighters who had been arrested by the British authorities.

[12] Clerides participated in the 1959 London Conference on Cyprus and during the transitional period from colonial administration to independence (1959–1960), he served as Minister of Justice.

[14] Following the 1974 coup d'état in which EOKA B, a Greek Cypriot unionist paramilitary organization, overthrew the democratically elected president Makarios and installed Nikos Sampson, Turkey invaded Cyprus.

On the same day, 23 July 1974, Clerides temporarily assumed the duties of the President of the Republic, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution.

Clerides was the author of an autobiographical over-toned depiction of 20th century Cypriot history, My Deposition, in four volumes (Alithia Publishing, Cyprus, 1988).

His government played a crucial role in Cyprus' accession to the European Union, with negotiations starting in 1998 and successfully concluding in 2002.

Under heavy international pressure, Clerides decided to transfer the S-300s to the Hellenic Air Force in exchange for alternative weapons from Greece.