No. 68

WASHINGTON, DC —The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) hosted Lieutenant General Nikolaos Manouris, inspector general and deputy chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff (HAGS), at Hellenic House, November 6, 2018.  

“We were honored to welcome Lt. General Manouris to Hellenic House,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “We held a substantive discussion about various aspects of Greece’s defense and security cooperation with its allies, its geostrategic importance, and its significance as a regional power and frontline state against terrorism.  In addition, we reviewed Greece’s contributions as a NATO ally from the standpoint of the Hellenic Army.”

Lt. General Manouris’ visit to Washington also included meetings with his counterparts at the Department of Defense and a visit to National Defense University.

In addition to AHI President Larigakis, AHI Board Member James L. Marketos, Esq., and AHI Legislative Directors Peter Milios and Elias Gerasoulis, attended.  

No. 67

WASHINGTON, DC — American Hellenic Institute (AHI) President Nick Larigakis addressed the Greek American community of New Haven, Connecticut, at a presentation hosted by AHEPA Chapter 98, New Haven, and the Hellenic Bar Association of Connecticut, at the Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church Social and Educational Hall, October 23, 2018.

“On behalf of AHI, I appreciated the opportunity to address the Greek American community of New Haven, and its surrounding areas, on the policy issues of importance to the Greek American community,” Larigakis said.  “I sincerely thank the community for its hospitality and for its strong interest in the topics discussed.”

In his presentation, Larigakis provided an overview of U.S. policy in the eastern Mediterranean, including: the status of Cyprus reunification talks, the United States’ military presence at NSA Souda Bay, Crete; the impact of the possible name change of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Greece-Cyprus-Israel relationship, and the geopolitical tensions in the Aegean Sea caused by Turkish aggression.  Because the event occurred close to Oxi Day, Larigakis also stressed the long-term ramifications of Greek’s heroic resistance to the Axis powers in early World War II.  He encouraged the community to reach out to their members of Congress to advocate on these issues.  A robust Q&A session followed Larigakis’ presentation.

President Larigakis thanked: AHEPA Past Supreme Governor Gregory J. Stamos, who also serves as President of the Hellenic Bar Association of Connecticut; and AHEPA Chapter 98 President Dr. Evangelos Hadjimichael, for organizing and hosting the presentation.

No. 66

WASHINGTON, DC —The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) welcomed Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States Marios Lyssiotis to AHI’s Hellenic House, where he met with AHI representatives, October 19, 2018.

 “We warmly welcome Ambassador Lyssiotis to Washington and look forward to working with him to advance U.S.-Cyprus relations,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “We reviewed AHI’s policy work that aims to strengthen the relationship and AHI’s programs that serve to keep the Cyprus issue on the agenda of policymakers in Washington.” 

In addition, Larigakis shared AHI’s Issue Brief on the United States’ arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus with Ambassador Lyssiotis.  Other topics of discussion included the ongoing acts of aggression taken by Turkey in Cyprus’s sovereign territory and Cyprus’ efforts to develop its hydrocarbon resources.

The ambassador toured Hellenic House’s E. John and Cleo Rumpakis Library to review library’s extensive volumes of history and shared AHI Foundation Fellow Gregory Graves’ work, “The Cyprus Crisis: A Declassified Dossier,” which includes compilations of day-to-day declassified documents from the U.S. government and other foreign archives.”

Ambassador Lyssiotis presented his credentials to President Donald J. Trump in September.

In addition to President Larigakis, AHI Board of Directors Treasurer and voluntary Counsel Nicholas G. Karambelas, Esq.; Board Member James L. Marketos, Esq., and Legislative Director Peter Milios represented AHI at the meeting.