The Ahepan Fall 2017 - 20

CYPRUS AND HELLENIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Report of the Cyprus and Hellenic Affairs Committee
95th Annual AHEPA Supreme Convention
Orlando, Florida
July 26, 2017
The following report was presented to the General Session of the 95th Annual Supreme Convention on July 27, 2017:
1)

The Order of AHEPA will continue to work to strengthen the AHEPA Grass Roots Network, which uniquely
distinguishes the AHEPA from all other Greek American organizations, and which if adequately developed,
can serve as its most effective tool for the promotion of Greek American interests and ideals. At the least,
AHEPA must secure one grassroots representative from each chapter.

2)

AHEPA will continue its efforts to grow the Hellenic Caucus in the House of Representatives, which now
stands at 126. Our goal for the 115th Congress continues to be 150 members, which ends December 2018.

3)

AHEPA is concerned about the growth of the Congressional Turkish Caucus, which exceeds the Hellenic
Caucus in membership.

4)

AHEPA will continue to support H.Res.220, a bipartisan anti-genocide resolution calling on the United States
to apply the lessons of the Armenian Genocide in seeking to prevent modern day atrocities across the
Middle East and which also contains a resolved clause that states for the U.S. to also draw on "...the broader
genocidal campaign by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Greeks,
Pontians and other Christians upon their biblical era homelands."

5)

AHEPA will continue to support H.Con.51, expressing the sense of Congress for the Parthenon Marbles to
be returned to Greece.

6)

AHEPA will continue to work with Congress and the relevant Executive Branch agencies to ensure Greece's
standing in the Visa Waiver Program is viewed favorably.

7)

AHEPA will work with Congress and the relevant Executive Branch agencies to enhance and strengthen
United States-Greece's military-to-military cooperation, especially with regard to NSA Souda Bay, Crete.

8)

AHEPA applauds efforts of the bipartisan calls of Congress, especially the Hellenic Caucus, to condemn-and seek justice--following the May 16 brutal attack upon peaceful American protesters on American soil
by the Turkish president's security detail. AHEPA will continue to work to put a halt to the proposed smallarms sale to the very same Turkish security detail that committed this attack.

9)

AHEPA seeks an update on the effort to lift the U.S arms embargo on Cyprus, and specifically, if a report
has been issued on Cyprus' military capabilities as instructed by the 2017 National Defense Authorization
Act.

10) AHEPA reasserts its previous statements issued in 2013 and 2016 that Turkey must meet its commitment to
the World Heritage Convention as it pertains to Hagia Sophia as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
11) AHEPA will seek to strengthen relations with other appropriate Greek American organizations in order to
more effectively fulfill its mission, as it relates to Greece, Cyprus, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and to issues
involving the FYROM, the Greek minority in Albania, and the Aegean Sea.
12) AHEPA will continue to work to strengthen relations with American Jewish organizations and collaborate on
issues of mutual interest in the spirit of the second successful historic Leadership Mission that took place in
January 2016. The Committee endorses the notion of continued Leadership Missions and engagement with
American Jewish organizations.
13) AHEPA will continue to speak out against extremism on both sides of the political spectrum and condemns
all forms of intolerance, hate speech, bigotry, and discrimination fostered by extremist elements.

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THE AHEPAN · Fall 2017

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