NO. 63

WASHINGTON, DC — Panelists attested to Greece’s leading role on the international stage at a panel discussion hosted by the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) on the topic, “Allies of the United States in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Importance of Pillars of Stability in a Sea of Instability,” October 31, 2019, at the Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C. The panelists included: Maria Olson, director, Office of Southern European Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Cato Institute Senior Fellow Doug Bandow, John Gizzi, Chief Political Columnist and White House Correspondent, Newsmax, and Senior Policy Adviser and Legal Counsel to U.S. Rep. Chris Smith Piero Tozzi. Paul Glastris, editor-in-chief, The Washington Monthly, moderated the panel discussion, which was followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

Greece’s leading role on the international stage emerged as a theme during the exchange of dialogue held between the panelists.

“…Greece’s role on the international stage will be increasingly prominent,” Gizzi said in the context of the decline in Ankara’s credibility when Washington is looking for dependable partners for providing security in the region.

“Greece is democracy’s favorite address in the world,” Gizzi said. “Greece's role in security will grow. In words echoing Richard Nixon, the Trump doctrine is not new. Other countries must share in security. Erodgan, once an opponent of Russia, is now an ally. Erdogan once tried to develop a friendship with the Kurds. Iran, once an enemy of Turkey, now has become an ally. Given these circumstances, Greece needs a bigger role in the region."

In her opening remarks, Director Olson stated, “Greece is a pillar of stability… There are currently extreme challenges to our relationship with Turkey."

Olson added that organizations such as the American Hellenic Institute are essential for the creation of people-to-people ties. Speaking on the Cyprus issue, Olson affirmed the U.S. position for a bi-zonal, bi-communal solution.

“Turkey is not a force of stability,” Bandow said, following a laundry list of how the Middle East’s instability has been magnified of late. “Greece remains as it has been--strong, helpful. Cyprus plays a role as well.”

Bandow cited unstable situations in Yemen, Libya, and Iraq along with Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon and Turkish President Erdogan’s possible family business dealings with ISIS, all as examples.

Tozzi demonstrated the United States’ relationship with Turkey is changing due, in part, to Turkey’s incursion into Syria, the passage of the Armenian Genocide, and the attempt to repeal the arms prohibition on Cyprus. He also went into detail about the recently passed House legislation to sanction turkey.

He added, “The relationship between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel is critically important."

AHI President Larigakis opened the panel discussion with welcome remarks. He provided the backdrop of the current state of events in the eastern Mediterranean and why it is in the best interests of the United States for the region to be politically, economically, and socially stable and peaceful. He described an “arc of instability” in the Middle East and provided examples of how Turkey is the leading instigator of instability in the region.

“[The U.S.] cannot send mixed messages and have double standards,” Larigakis said. “If we cannot defend our beliefs in a country such as Turkey, which is a NATO member, we will not have any credibility in countries such as Russia, Iran, or China.”