NO. 161
Washington, DC—Greek and Cypriot American organizations, including the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), received a response from the National Security Council (NSC) that addressed the United States’ position on the reopening of Varosha by Turkish authorities and its impact upon Cyprus settlement talks in addition to the imposition of sanctions on Turkey for its procurement of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
The NSC’s December 29 letter is a response to an October 30 joint letter the organizations sent to President Donald J. Trump, encouraging him to take steps to hold Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish government accountable for their actions in the region. The organizations conveyed outrage over Turkey’s illegal reopening of the beach in Varosha, President Erdogan’s open declaration of support for a two-state solution in Cyprus, and Turkey’s overall destabilizing behavior and malign influence.
“The United States is correct to call for a reversal of steps taken by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot authorities that led to the illegal reopening of Varosha and to point out their actions are provocative and inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolutions in addition to not being conducive to the resumption of settlement talks,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “We thank the NSC for addressing our organizations’ concerns and for its continued vigilance of Varosha and Turkey’s overall actions in the region.”
In addition to AHI, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (Order of AHEPA), International Coordinating Committee - Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA), Federation of Cypriot-American Organizations (FCAO), Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), and the Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, signed the letter.