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AHIF STUDENT FOREIGN POLICY TRIP PARTICIPANTS DESCRIBE THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
WASHINGTON, DC —The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) is releasing nine essays authored by participants of the 13th annual American Hellenic Institute Foundation College Student Foreign Policy Trip to Washington, DC, Greece, and Cyprus.
The students’ insightful essays describe their personal experiences from the trip to Greece and Cyprus held June 22 to July 9, 2021. During the 18-day program, the students were in Cyprus, June 26 to July 1, and Athens, July 1-9. Prior to departing for overseas, the students spent four days in Washington, DC, June 22 and 25. They received firsthand experience about the foreign policy issues affecting Greece and Cyprus, their relations with the U.S., and the interests of the U.S. in the region.
“For the thirteenth year, the trip provided us with a wonderful opportunity to lead an exceptional group of students to Cyprus and Greece,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “It was rewarding to see them gain firsthand experience about the foreign policy issues that concern U.S. relations with Greece and Cyprus. The AHI Foundation looks forward to offering this program annually as support for it has grown and student interest remains at significant levels since the program’s inception.”
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AHIF Student Foreign Policy Trip: A Journey to Greece & Cyprus
By Michael C. Arianas
When I first decided to join this year’s AHIF Student Foreign Policy trip, I knew it would be different from what my friends had told me of previous years. After all, the entire world had just started to come out of a year-long hibernation of such educational trips due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Greece and Cyprus were still battling the disease and administering vaccinations. It was a mystery not only to me, but all the other participants, as to if this year’s rendition would live up to the reputation it had garnered over its previous twelve iterations. Yet, I knew for a fact the trip would still be worth it, and it most certainly was.
Starting in Washington, DC, the trip began with a bang as we met representatives from Greece and Cyprus in their embassies, followed by visits at the Hellenic House from congressmen, State Department staff, and intellectuals unparalleled in their knowledge on the Eastern Mediterranean and its many disputes. These meetings alone, which took up a grand total of two business days in late June, made the trip down to DC worthwhile for a law student such as myself looking to break into the world of international business law.
Well, we were just getting started. Next thing I knew we were in Cyprus, which 115-degree heat aside, was nothing short of spectacular. From the President of the House of Representatives to a watch over tower on the Green Line, as a former student of International Relations, I felt more connected to the pressing issues facing Cyprus in 2021 while quite literally standing in the middle of them at Old Nicosia Airport than I ever did pouring through academic literature for four years of studying at the university. Of particular interest, however, was the heartthrob I experienced at the Anthropological Laboratory of the Republic of Cyprus, where we were led by Mr. Xenophon Kallis. There, we witnessed the devastation that many Cypriot families have experienced firsthand, the identification of missing persons and the return of their remains. Never had I been so impacted by a single experience. We were deeply heartbroken to learn how people had to be identified by a single finger, or a femur, and returned to their families decades after their disappearance. Yet, this is a tragedy that lives on in the hearts of Cypriots because there are still approximately one thousand individuals who have yet to be found, and sadly, who may never be due to the actions of the illegal occupying force in the north.
After Cyprus it was on to Greece, where we spent a plurality of our trip. Our time in Greece was absolutely jam-packed with events that I never thought I would get to experience: touring an active-duty submarine, meeting with Prime Minister Mitsotakis, attending a briefing by General Floros at the Ministry of Defense, dinner with the Mayor of Athens, and last but certainly not least, a demonstration by the Hellenic Air Force of a Greek F-16 at Souda Bay. When all is said and done, to the best of my knowledge, there is simply no other program for any other nationality or ethnicity, which brings young and bright students from the New World to the Old in such a fashion, showcasing the issues faced by their ancestral homeland today. As one of my fellow students on the trip was known to say, there are people who would give their limbs to experience even a fraction of what we did. I for one will be forever grateful to the American Hellenic Institute Foundation for making it possible - especially in this crazy year, 2021.
On a personal note, my grandmother passed away earlier this year. For my entire life, she tried to get me more involved with my Greek heritage—from simply volunteering at our local Greek festival every year to meeting up with distant cousins who were more involved in the American Hellenic community. She was a constant advocate for Hellenism. I know for a fact that after this trip, she would have been proud—not only of the work we accomplished along the way, but of the things us nine students will accomplish in the future. I can say with absolute certainty that every single one of us will go on to do fantastic things with the knowledge we gained during those seventeen days together. Thank you to all the people who helped to make this trip happen, from Mr. Larigakis and the staff at AHI, to my new and everlasting friends.
Michael Arianas graduated the University of St Andrews with a Joint Masters Degree (Honours) in International Relations and Modern History in 2019. Since his return to the USA, he has been pursuing a J.D. at The George Washington University Law School with a concentration in International Business Law, where he is now in his final year of study. Michael participated in the thirteenth annual AHIF Student Foreign Policy Trip to Greece and Cyprus sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.
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Fueling Advocacy Through Identity: Understanding the Cypriot Struggle
By Sophia Athan
My summer memories growing up were saturated by the all-consuming Mediterranean heat and refreshed by the rush of cold air that came from opening the periptero ice cream case. Trips to Greece, which happened five times during my adolescence, were never complete without indulging in the cloyingly sweet taste of glyka tou koutaliou, spoon sweets from my family’s island home. I would return from Greece with stories of chasing stray cats and late nights in Chora, falling asleep over a plate of gigantes, my childhood favorite.
From all these memories, I grew up proclaiming nostalgia for Greece; I longed to return to the stray cats and spoon sweets and vocalized these wishes to anyone who would listen. Growing up Greek American meant that I was consistently surrounded by family, heritage, and culture through the church, Greek dance, and Greek school. These institutionalized blends of motherland and homeland created a complex belonging to two different landscapes – part of me feels attached to my birthplace, and the other feels ties to the origins of those in my family that came before me. I am blessed to have the ability to travel between the two identities, spending summers in Greece and living life in America.
Continued fulfillment of my nostalgia is as simple as purchasing an airplane ticket. It was not until I visited Cyprus on the American Hellenic Institute Foundation’s College Student Foreign Policy trip that I truly understood that Cypriot nostalgia ran far deeper and more significant than mine.
Milan Kundera wrote in Ignorance, “The Greek word for ‘return’ is nostos. Algos means ‘suffering.’ So, nostalgia is the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return.”
Kundera’s definition of nostalgia accurately describes the Cypriot struggle and puts into words the forcibly resigned nature of the free Cypriots. They know that in the current political climate, the prospect of returning to their own villages and cities in the occupied area remains slim. In the free town of Nicosia, Cypriot civilians sitting at tavernas look to their right to see bustling nightlife and look to their left to see the Green Line checkpoints covered in barbed wire that they cannot fathom venturing past. Overlooking the walls and makeshift barricades parallel to the Green Line, Cypriot homes and businesses are crumbling, left to decay by the Turkish occupying forces as the townspeople must sit and watch, helpless, from behind the checkpoint.
During a lot of our time in Washington, Cyprus, and Greece, my peers and I heard the same phrase repeated by high-ranking diplomatic officials. They explained how “values-based foreign policy” continues to be the tie that binds Greece and the United States together. A “values-based foreign policy” approach includes the promotion of fundamental freedoms. Alongside the five American fundamental freedoms, this trip allowed me to recognize that for the Cypriots, the most important freedom they could ever receive is the freedom to return. Deprived since 1974, the Cypriots exiled from their homes are left with only distant memories of their own stray cats and spoon sweets. Younger generations were born without the understanding of life before the invasion. These priceless experiences, ones that Greek-Americans have the freedom to enjoy and reminisce upon, are not shared by their oppressed neighbors to the southeast.
Displayed over one of the blue and white checkpoints in Nicosia stood a banner that said, “Remember Cyprus,” with the northern part of the island painted in red. Greek and Cypriot flags line the streets of Nicosia next to one another, united. The struggle for freedom is intertwined between the two states, and it is painful. Cypriots are suffering, left with their unsatiated desire to return home. They are left without the ability to see the birthplace of those who came before them, unlike those of us whose familial origins reside in Greece. The Turkish occupation remains an aching reminder that unlike my own blended landscape of motherland and homeland, the Cypriots are living in a forcibly divided landscape – driven from life as they knew it and deprived of the chance for homecoming.
Realizing our privilege as Greek Americans can be as saddening as it is motivating, because it opens the opportunity for advocacy. The Cypriot people are nostalgic. They are deprived of their fundamental freedom to return to their homeland, unlike us Greek-Americans who have the blessing to do so. The title of Greek American bears the name of two states: the founders of democracy and the biggest advocates for democracy on the world stage. As Greek Americans, we must stand up for the Cypriots and encourage our government officials to do the same. No issue ties more directly to “values-based foreign policy” than the protection of fundamental freedoms. We must understand that support for the Cypriots can no longer be passive.
They ask me to remember them. I do. Will you?
Sophia Athan is a junior at the University of Florida, double-majoring in Political Science and International Studies with double minors in Greek Studies and European Union Studies. At the University of Florida, Sophia is a Benacquisto Scholar, National Merit Scholar, and Dean’s List Student and will graduate in Spring 2023, where she aims to matriculate into law school. Sophia participated in the 13th annual AHIF Foreign Policy College Student Trip to Greece and Cyprus sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.
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The Power of Perspective: The American Hellenic Institute’s Mission for Greek American Students
By Sophia Axiotis
I knew that my perspective of Greece and Cyprus would change going into the American Hellenic Institute Foundation’s Foreign Policy Trip to Greece and Cyprus, and that, by the end of it, I would hopefully return home better equipped for my future academic endeavors. However, I could not have anticipated the immense impact that it would have on how I saw myself as a Greek American, and by proxy, a person of influence.
Being not only a first-generation Greek American but also the daughter to a man who was adopted by a Greek American couple in Athens during the height of an adoption scandal afforded me insight into what it means to be Greek. I did not learn Greek when I was young since my dad’s adopted parents were instructed to enroll my dad in special English classes and ensure that he did not learn the Greek language as it would have “confused” him. None of my family members can speak Greek as a result, and to add to issues already instilled of my Greek identity, we have little to no information about my biological grandmother other than that she was a teenage mother who, was quite likely, illiterate. Without a place to trace her from, I’d grown used to considering all Greeks - from Cyprus and Greece - as part of my extended family and as such, people I want to advocate for and alongside. Over the course of this trip, my understanding of the spirit of Hellenism grew alongside the awareness that Greece and Cyprus sit at a crossroads and are powerful as western-aligned allies.
Nothing could have prepared me for walking along the Green Line in Nicosia, viewing the massive Turkish flag on the occupied northern part of Cyprus, or seeing the bones of people’s relatives at the Anthropological Laboratory of the Republic of Cyprus. The case of the Missing Persons was something I had researched and thought about but being close to the very real and very disturbing reality that many families are still in the dark concerning the whereabouts of their relatives struck a chord with me. As a history major, it is this human loss and the loss of valuable icons of antiquity that, His Beatitude Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II explained, took place during and after the 1974 Turkish invasion of the now occupied territory of Cyprus. Not only are many icons and church relics unaccounted for, but there is also steady unease regarding the state of abandoned churches in the north that have been converted to - in some cases - barns. This threatens the already delicate state of Cypriot history and should these buildings important to both the Greek-Cypriot and Orthodox communities fall away, it would be a significant blow to their identity.
One of the most poignant moments in our meetings was with the diplomatic advisor to the Prime Minister of Greece, Ambassador Eleni Sourani. I cannot recall her exact words, but I know they were echoed in a few of our other briefings. She stated diaspora communities were valuable to Greece, and indeed, are welcome allies. Others reflected that Greece needed its diaspora to advocate for its strategic location, military prowess, and its potential. Wherever I had doubts about my usefulness as a Greek American to Greece, they no longer exist. She explained in very simple terms that the ‘brain drain’ – Greek youths going abroad for education and work as a result of the economic crisis – would wield a significant blow in the years to come, and that it was young adults like us that could be staunch bulwarks against issues plaguing Greece as well as strong defenders of our heritage. The message she conveyed to us still resounds with me: Greek Americans are always welcome in Greece and that I could find family and favor as an individual hailing from two traditions of democracy.
I learned the beauty of our Greek heritage is what we have in common and what we do not. My peers on this trip, all Greek American, come from a plethora of backgrounds, study vastly different topics, but regardless, share a love for Greece and are proud Greek Americans. I have no doubt they and I will continue to be strong advocates for Greece and Cyprus’ importance on the world stage and as NATO allies who share a bond of philosophy with America. Upon returning home, I was proud to tell my parents that I spent my seventeen days with AHI alongside my grandmother - that her spirit, and indeed the spirit of Hellenism, never left me.
While I can’t go back in time to extend my thanks to my grandmother for her strength, either in giving up my father or bearing the weight of having him taken from her, I can work toward a better future for relations between Greece, Cyprus and the United States.
Sophia Axiotis is a provost-list sophomore at Chapman University studying History and Philosophy and minoring in English. Sophia participated in the thirteenth annual AHIF Foreign Policy College Student Trip to Greece and Cyprus sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.
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American Hellenic Institute Foundation Foreign Policy Trip: Greece & Cyprus Alone
By Stratis Bohle
From a young age, I was told about the political and foreign policy issues relating to Greece. My mother was the first one in her family born in the United States. She was born two years after her parents came over, and her birth sparked her grandparents and uncle also to come over. As such, I have close ties to Greece as well as the Greek American community. Both my grandmother and mother were involved in Greek American media and community organizations, with my mother even working for a time at AHI. The reason I share all this is to let you know how the issue of Greece and Cyprus regarding their relationships with the west and Turkey was always prevalent at the dinner table.
But hearing things for nineteen years is a lot different than seeing them for fourteen days firsthand in the heat with a suit and tie. The saying is true, “seeing is believing.” I thought I understood these issues before, but realized I did not until seeing the military of Turkey, a NATO member, actively occupying Cyprus, a member of the European Union. The absurdity of this situation was viscerally encapsulated by the abandoned airport in Nicosia (in disuse since the 1974 invasion), which was once state of the art for its time. We must fight on as Americans for what is right, just as we helped to reunify Germany and currently with Korea, we must do the same for Cyprus.
Seeing the bones of Cypriots being examined only now because DNA testing has become so readily available for small fragments is both disgusting and amazing. I say disgusting because the need to test bones nearly 50 years after the invasion means too many families have had no idea what happened to their loved ones during that time. It also means that too many people died in a senseless and illegal invasion. I also am amazed because what previously was an impossible mystery to solve can now be. Even though the loved ones who knew the person who died may be gone from this Earth, they still have the opportunity for their descendants to give them a proper burial and closure. In addition to the fact that the discovery of the families is occurring, so is hiding bodies in the occupied area. The Turkish occupiers have been destroying burial sites from the invasion when they are rediscovered. The exact reason is unknown, but my belief is to hide the increased numbers of deaths to improve their international standing.
The Greek portion of our trip made me appreciative of a side of Greece you hear often about, but usually negatively, the government. We were able to talk with everyone from the Ministry of Defense to even the Ministry of Tourism. These officials are trying to get things accomplished, and they were able to answer our questions. We were graced with the wonderful opportunity to speak with the President and Prime Minister of Greece. Meeting them both is an honor I will cherish throughout my life.
The Greek government wants what is best for its people and its interest when it comes to foreign policy. Thankfully their military is up to the task. Having been given the opportunity to speak with some of Greece’s top military minds, they offered great wisdom and information to me and my compatriots. One of these statements was made by Rear Admiral Kataras, “you have to scratch your back.” The Admiral, in his own witty way, communicated the need for Greece to have a strong, sufficient, and independent military. In only the worst-case scenario will aid come in large supply. Thankfully, based on our experiences, I do not doubt in my mind that Greece can scratch its own back and it should be able to do so for a long time. Let us hope that day never comes. But in addition to wisdom and nuggets of information, we were also afforded the nicest hospitality, for which I am extremely grateful.
Stratis Bohle is a sophomore at Virginia Tech studying political science. He intends to attend law school after he finishes with his bachelor’s degree in political science in 2024. Stratis participated in the 13th annual AHIF Foreign Policy College Student Trip to Greece and Cyprus sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.
Re-imagining My Greek American Identity Through the AHIF Foreign Policy Trip
By Metaxenia Evangeloulis
Growing up, being Greek-American was something that I took for granted. Whether it was family sayings, art styles, food, it all just made sense to me when I was a kid. Surrounded by my family and church community, it was easy to think that this identity had always been there - and always would be.
But the older I got, the more I ventured out into the world. I went to Greece over the summer, mingling with people who had never been to the United States. I left my village in New Orleans to go to college in Washington, DC, and met other Americans with an interest in foreign policy. We talked about all of the same things that I talked about with my family and church friends back home, but somehow none of these experiences reminded me of those conversations.
It was then that I realized that the identity I had so long held was not just a template that anyone can assume. When I began to learn more about global politics, I saw just how complicated cross-culture interaction was. Despite America’s imprint on the rest of the world, there were fundamental differences everywhere. Phrases, behaviors, and ideologies became lost in translation, and it takes work to parse through these discrepancies and communicate.
Then it occurred to me that just a few generations before me, members of my family had to sort this out on their own, in a country they didn’t know and without the wisdom of past generations to draw on. This identity that I grew up having was nothing other than the realization of decades of hard work. After the AHIF Foreign Policy Trip, I became more determined to preserve this identity, and thus preserve the legacy of past generations.
On the trip, I encountered cultural intersections both big and small. At Souda Bay, I thought about relations between Greece and the United States on a large scale, expressed in the size of the ships at the harbor and the sheer amount of dollars and manpower that allow the base to provide its services to the world. In the ministry of tourism, I listened as politicians explained how they could personally appeal to potential travelers to Greece. Everything suddenly seemed so complicated, with all these dynamics overlapping and continuously changing over so many levels. The amount of work I felt I was obligated to do as a Greek American kept growing.
A few key moments simplified this sense of obligation for me. In my studies and personal life, I’ve grown accustomed to thinking about politics and economics in terms of abstractions and theories. The trouble with this is that it’s always been difficult for me to apply these things to my daily life because the scale and areas of impact can be so diverse.
Thankfully, I had the rare pleasure of meeting some amazing people along the way. They instantly eliminated this problem of scale by personally embodying the international dialogues that were swirling around me. Kostas Bakoyiannis, the mayor of Athens, seemed a lot less concerned about theories and more about practical solutions. Sitting next to him at a dinner, I was impressed by his ability to distill big issues into smaller, more solvable problems. His relaxed and honest style was contagious, and it showed me that it is possible to cut through the noise. All it takes is patience and the willingness to stick to one’s values.
Another figure who inspired me is Annita Demetriou. At 35, she is the youngest Speaker of the House of Representatives in Cyprus’s history, as well as the first woman to serve in the position. When my fellow students and I met with her, I was struck by her confidence. For someone who was born at the border of Cyprus and the occupied zone, she didn’t seem to find any issue in working in a field where her personal life intersected with her job. More than that, she seemed to embrace her identity and take advantage of her personal knowledge.
From this trip, I realized that identity doesn’t simply exist. It is created, maintained, and uplifted through concerted effort. Just being something or someone in private isn’t enough; actions must be taken, and communities must be built. I can’t say that I found a perfect strategy to further Greek American interests in three weeks, but I have a better idea of how I can contribute moving forward. The issues that we face are huge, looming large in our minds every day. But through fostering connections and creating organizational strength, work can be done. It’s not that the problems get smaller - the strength of the community gets larger.
When I was in rooms with people like Mr. Bakoyiannis and Ms. Demetriou, I got the sense that the connection between Greek American individuals was larger than just two people talking. We bring all of our upbringings, all of our ideals, all of our troubles into these rooms, so when many of us come together to face something, our capabilities grow exponentially. Armed with new connections and new knowledge, I hope to help bring both myself and the Greek American community into the future.
Metaxenia Evangeloulis is a junior at the George Washington University majoring in organizational sciences with a double minor in statistics and psychology. Metaxenia participated in the 13th annual AHIF Foreign Policy College Student Trip to Greece and Cyprus sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.
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American Hellenic Institute foreign policy trip: The perspective of an outsider looking in
By Nicholas Iliadis
The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) has provided one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life through the foreign policy trip. The trip provided me with insight into the geo-political strife of the eastern Mediterranean. The trip was an opportunity to meet with Greek American students from around the country and learn about their experience with foreign policy and politics. From traveling to the Buffer Zone in Cyprus to meeting with the Prime Minister of Greece, the trip allowed for a further exploration into the inner workings of the Hellenic world and a further understanding of the heart-breaking ordeal that the people of Cyprus have been suffering through with a third of their country under an illegal military occupation from the Turkish military for 47 years. Throughout the trip, Mr. Nick Larigakis, President of the American Hellenic Institute, continued to cite a letter that then-Senator Biden wrote to AHI in 1989, in which he stated that Turkey should not be considered a member of the international community until it removes all of its troops from Cyprus. The fact that the world continues to turn a blind eye to the human rights violations against the Cypriot people shows how sensitive political issues can be swept under the rug in the eyes of the international community and the general public.
Before the trip I knew very little about the region, especially Cyprus’ heart-wrenching ordeal. The Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, has had its sovereignty as a country violated by a NATO member through military brutality. The European Union refuses to act on the human rights violations against one of its own member states and instead by try to abdicate its responsibilities to the United Nations. For the Republic of Cyprus there can be no peace until Turkey removes all its troops and the Republic is under a just settlement.
Throughout the trip we were reminded repeatedly of the United States’ role as a beacon for peace and freedom around the world. When touring the watch towers overlooking the United Nations buffer zone (taken mostly from the Republic of Cyprus) I couldn’t help but feel ashamed that we as a nation which prides ourselves on promoting freedom and human rights. Even more outrageous, Turkey moves more and more of its citizens to settle the occupied area, in violation of the Geneva Convention. In the 1980s, Turkish Cypriots constructed a large flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus alongside that of Turkey on the southern slopes of Kyrenia Mountains, a display so blatant it is visible throughout Nicosia. The people who live in the Europe’s last divided capital must see this travesty on a daily basis. The United States routinely performs joint military operations with the Republic of Cyprus for our own national security interests but has refused to help the Republic of Cyprus regain control over its own land for the last 47 years since the illegal invasion.
When we traveled to Greece we were continuously reminded of the United States’ close relationship to the Hellenic Republic. I learned for the first time about the substantive military agreements between the U.S. and Greece and how the U.S. uses Greek bases as the home port for some of their naval fleet. I traveled to Souda Bay and witnessed first-hand the level of cooperation between the U.S. and the Greek military to provide peace and security to the region. With this close ties with Cyprus’ closest ally, Greece, there is no excuse for the United States not to seek some form of solution to Turkey’s illegal military occupation of Cyprus’ sovereign land and blatant violations of its territorial waters. This trip proved to be an incredibly important opportunity to learn about the issues impacting so many people whose struggle would have previously gone unnoticed just as it does for so many both home and abroad.
Nicholas Iliadis graduated in 2021 from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a degree in Political Science and was a four-year member of the La Salle men’s rowing team. Currently is his attending Widener University Commonwealth Law school as a member of the class of 2024. Nicholas participated in the thirteenth annual AHIF College Student Foreign Policy Trip to Washington, DC, Greece and Cyprus sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.
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The Strength of Cyprus and Greece
By Sophia Kapogiannis
Throughout my childhood, I made annual visits to Greece with my family, spending summers enjoying the country’s beautiful beaches and visiting relatives. Regrettably, it was easy as a second-generation Greek American to draw on my Greek heritage when it was convenient, immersing myself in Greek culture and traditions only to return home and limit my involvement in the Greek community to church activities. When Greece was mentioned in school, it was in terms of the 2007 financial crisis or ancient times; the few instances that Cyprus was discussed were in the context of the occupation. My understanding of Greece’s hostilities with Turkey was defined by historical narratives of the Ottoman occupation rather than its militarized foreign policy.
Since attending the thirteenth annual American Hellenic Institute Foundation Student Foreign Policy Trip to Washington, DC, Greece, and Cyprus, I have realized that I had been perceiving Greece and Cyprus through the narrow lenses of summer vacation destinations and historical events. I was doing a disservice to myself, as a Greek and an American, by not recognizing the significant power these two countries now hold in the Eastern Mediterranean and the magnitude of the United States’ interest in them. Cyprus and Greece have continued to demonstrate their importance both regionally and globally through their bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral relations.
Located at the crossroads of three continents, Cyprus has become a powerful global security and economic partner as other nations move away from viewing Cyprus as a single-issue state in the context of its relations with Turkey. The recent discovery of hydrocarbon reserves in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone has contributed to increasing energy cooperation both within the region and beyond. Cyprus has created and developed fruitful partnerships with many states and established the intergovernmental organization East Mediterranean Gas Forum with Greece, Egypt, Israel, Italy, and Jordan. Most notable is the trilateral agreement between Cyprus, Greece, Israel (plus Italy), which has produced the Eastern Mediterranean pipeline project, aiming to diversify Europe’s energy supply and promote overall energy security.
Throughout our trip, Greece was described as a “pillar of stability” in an arc of instability stretching from Europe to the Middle East. Despite facing significant security challenges in the Balkans, Middle East, and Black Sea, Greece has capitalized upon its location by enhancing its defense capabilities and providing a home for some of the most important military installations in the region on the island of Crete: NSA Souda Bay, NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Center (NMIOTC), and NATO Missile Firing Installation (NAMFI). Souda Bay, one of the largest natural ports in the Eastern Mediterranean, is a critical component of the United States’ involvement in the region—since 2015, there have been 12,558 landings of U.S. aircraft in Souda and 824 entries of U.S. naval ships in Greek waters or ports, according to the Hellenic National Defense General Staff. Additionally, the USS Hershel "Woody" Williams was recently homeported to Souda Bay, marking the importance of the U.S.-Greece defense partnership.
Greece’s strength is not limited to its vast military power; although it is geographically smaller than Alabama, Greek interests control around twenty percent of the world’s shipping and fifty percent of the European Union’s shipping. Any major disruption among the Greek shipping fleet would likely have significant negative implications for the world economy. In addition to the soft power Greece holds in the maritime industry, the nation has a vibrant and passionate diaspora spread throughout the world. Much of this population and its descendants remain deeply connected to Greece and its domestic and international policy.
One of the most important lessons I have learned from this eighteen-day trip is that power is not limited to those in high political or military positions – as a United States citizen and proud descendent of Greek grandparents, I must serve as an advocate for Greek and Cypriot issues in my own community. Going back to my university in the fall, I look forward to sharing the knowledge that I gained on the trip and raising awareness of Greek and Cypriot issues among members of the Hellenic Student Association. I feel a responsibility to be more mindful of my elected representatives’ roles in these complex policy issues and make my voice heard. Ultimately, learning about the regional power Cyprus and Greece have due to their geostrategic locations and cooperation with other states has been an eye-opening experience and has increased my resolve to involve myself in foreign policy issues that concern U.S. relations with Greece and Cyprus.
Sophia Kapogiannis is a senior in the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. She is pursuing a BS degree in Public Health with minors in Nutrition Sciences and Sociocultural Anthropology. Sophia participated in the 13th annual AHIF Foreign Policy College Student Trip to Greece and Cyprus sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.
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American Hellenic Institute Foundation Foreign Policy Trip: Democracies Must Stand Together
By Andreas Papoutsis
As someone who hopes to pursue a career in public service, I have always wanted to ensure that my advocacy on behalf of Greece and Cyprus was strictly rooted in my intention to pursue American interests. I did not want to flirt with the notion that my calls for a new approach to the Eastern Mediterranean stemmed from inherent cultural biases rather than a sincere passion to strengthen American national security. Luckily, my participation in this year’s foreign policy trip demonstrated that strong relationships between Greece, Cyprus, and the United States are directly beneficial to American interests and that expanded cooperation between the three countries has become increasingly imperative.
The reasoning for robust relations between these nations is simple. In a global environment where autocratic forces feel emboldened by internal divisions within the world’s democracies, like-minded nations would benefit from expanded collaboration between one another. The Eastern Mediterranean may be a long way from Washington DC, but American interests in the region are too long to list, especially with the Kremlin just on the other side of NATO’s southern flank. Rather than exemplify the behavior of a reliable ally, however, Turkey’s militarized foreign policy and the revanchist sentiment of its strongman leader continue to threaten Greek sovereignty and directly challenge American strength in the region.
My meetings with military and political officials in Cyprus and Greece reinforced the simple truth that wishful thinking does not suffice when confronting a bad faith actor. Were it not for the capabilities and constant readiness of Greek and Cypriot forces in the region, Erdogan’s dreams of reincarnating the Ottoman Empire would likely have culminated in expanded occupation of Hellenic territory rather than the current stalemate between the two sides. The present situation, however, is neither sustainable nor entirely fitting of the word “stalemate.” A stalemate implies a standstill. Turkey’s actions indicate an intention to instigate conflict and foment instability.
The philosophy of some in Washington, in particular the State Department, is that Turkey must be placated in order to remain anchored to the West. However, this flawed approach is contradicted by Ankara’s very conspicuous descent into authoritarianism. Such a viewpoint is grounded in naivety. What will transpire instead is an escalation of current provocations that will spark extensive conflict. There could be few larger problems for the United States than a war between two NATO allies - born out of one nation’s spiral into dictatorship - while Washington seeks to prove that its system of international governance is superior to the emerging alternative presented by China. These are the potential costs associated with pursuing the status quo.
Learning more about all these issues cemented my belief that the Eastern Mediterranean issue concurrently presents itself as an American problem as well - one that requires decisive action. In a frightening time where some Americans view the pillars of democracy as a secondary priority to the achievement of political goals, what will our citizens think when our government sits idly by as Turkey - once naively dubbed as the Islamic world’s model for democracy - further devolves into authoritarianism and lashes out at the birthplace of democracy? If American leadership fails to stand in favor of democratic values abroad, Americans would have less reason to believe that democracy’s decline at home warrants concern or action.
One of the most impactful experiences I had on my trip came when listening to Cypriot officials describe the United States as the lone nation capable of forcing Turkey to halt its aggression and respect the sovereignty of democracies in the region. As Americans, we should absorb such an assessment with extreme humility and draw inspiration to stand up for those who revere the United States as a protector of democracy.
An equally important lesson I drew was that a stronger relationship with Greece would not come at the expense of strategic desires. In other words, abiding by our values will not compromise American interests. Few naval ports offer the strategic advantages that Souda Bay does. Few missile testing sites provide such a wide array of services as NAMFI. Even fewer air forces can demonstrate elite piloting skills quite like the Greeks do. This relationship is one that philosophically and strategically makes sense. It is a relationship deserving of attention.
Pursuing these relationships and altering our approach to the region would send a clear message to the rest of the world: America is still strong, still capable of asserting its power, and still willing to preserve democracy. That same message would hopefully resonate with our own citizens who have lost optimism in the American experiment. In that respect, my most influential takeaway from this trip is that these relationships are not just conducive to our interests in a region thousands of miles away, but important to the preservation of democracy in the free world as a whole.
Andreas Papoutsis is a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles where he is majoring in economics with a minor in public affairs. He will be interning at the American Hellenic Institute this summer after completing a national security research internship at the Hudson Institute. In the future, he hopes to attend law school and pursue a career in national security. Andreas participated in the 13th annual AHIF Foreign Policy College Student Trip to Greece and Cyprus sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.
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The Mission for Greek Americans Today
By Leonidas Tsirigotis
As a Greek American who often questioned the ability to link Greece and the U.S. in an effective way, the AHIF Foreign Policy trip made me fully aware of the long issues Greece and Cyprus have faced over the past decades, and what is needed to be done to solve them. To be fully honest, though, I was very honored and proud to have been chosen for the Foreign Policy Trip. I was also very nervous to embark on this journey. Most of my colleagues dealt in political science, pre-law, or something in that nature, because of course those students will be the future ambassadors for Greek American interests. What could I, a CPA student, have to offer in such a huge and complex industry as geopolitical relations? To my surprise, a lot actually.
On the recent trip with AHI, just like my eight fellow participants, I had never been to Cyprus. It was a wonderful experience to be there, and what made the visit even better was that I had very little knowledge on the country itself, other than the 1974 occupation. Before the trip, I only had semi accurate information regarding the illegal occupation of Cyprus in 1974. I did not understand the scale of impact this had on families, the country and the diaspora. In school, specifically world history classes, the Cyprus problem is often overlooked or not taught at all. Skipping over the illegal invasion of Cyprus is a huge disservice in our education system as this is an ongoing issue and Cyprus is still under Turkish occupation. The AHIF student trip witnessed the carnage of the aftermath of the 1974 invasion, such as the remains of the missing laid out in display for us to see. In addition, we visited the Cypriot National Guard posts on the Green Line where we could see Turkish soldiers on the other side as well as be in presence with Cypriot National Guardsmen (this is especially impactful, as many of these guardsmen are my age).
On another note, to my surprise, the accounting industry is huge in Cyprus. There are countless advertisements for the “Big four” accounting firms all over the country, with Nicosia having all four of the firms with offices located there. The buildings were huge and had advertisements in Hebrew, Greek, English and Russia, which opened my eyes to the possibility of providing audit or tax services in Cyprus or somewhere else in the EU, while advocating for Cypriot and U.S. interests at the same time.
In my opinion, the best part of the trip was visiting all the military offices, bases, and high-level military officials. Speaking to them on U.S.-Greek-Cypriot bilateral agreements via joint trainings, equipment and new bases was a rare and profound experience. From riding in speed boats, to meeting a hero of mine, General Konstantinos Floros, chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (HNDGS), it made me, and my fellow AHIF trip participants, fully understand the strategic importance of the Hellenic and Cypriot armies. I said this many times with my colleagues on the trip, but as someone whose entire family on both sides were career military Hellenes, I felt a sense of homecoming and warmth being surrounded by the military, and especially at Salamis, home base to the Hellenic Naval Fleet. Very few Greek Americans have the opportunity to see what the Greek military is actually like, such as viewing the “Zeus” F-16 in flight. In my opinion, every Greek American needs to do their own research on the Greek military and Cypriot National Guard to see the capabilities they possess and the strength they have to protect the sovereignty of their nations.
Of course, I must acknowledge the political science portion of the trip, which was very educational, as I had very little knowledge on the matters prior to the trip. A very interesting portion of the political area of the trip was meeting with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostas Vlasis and U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt who changed my view on Greek diaspora and U.S. relations with Greece, respectively. Prior to the trip, I was aware there was some anti-U.S. sentiment in Greece in years past; however, Ambassador Pyatt reassured that those feelings are virtually gone, and that U.S.-Greece relations are at an all-time high. This was great to hear. In addition, Mr. Vlasis mentioned that Greek language programs should be invested in to allow for the Greek American diaspora to preserve its Greek language skills.
Overall, the AHIF trip reassured my aspirations to tighten bonds between Greece, U.S., and Cyprus. Despite being an accounting major, and someone who will probably have no life career in the foreign service or U.S. State Department, I now know that I can apply my potential accounting skills in the tax or audit sector in Greece, Cyprus, U.S., or all three, while advocating for Greek and American interests. As I said in the beginning, I was very unsure to see how a Greek American accountant could add something to the table during the trip, and more importantly, later in life when it really matters. I can safely say that now I have a better understanding of what me and my fellow Greek Americans must do, which is promote U.S. interests, in Greece and Cyprus, as proud Hellenes.
Leonidas Tsirigotis is a Fast-Track CPA student pursuing a BA in Accounting, an MS in Accounting and Data Analytics and CPA license at Loyola University of Maryland. Leonidas participated in the 13th annual AHIF Foreign Policy College Student Trip to Greece and Cyprus sponsored by the American Hellenic Institute Foundation.