The Ahepan Spring 2020 - 21

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY

Year-end Legislative Package Includes Wins for AHEPA
Family Priorities
AHEPA applauded the inclusion of
AHEPA family policy priorities in
two bipartisan legislative packages
that became law in December 2019,
announced Supreme President George
G. Horiates.
"The legislative package that funded
the federal government is a win for
enhanced United States relations with
Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, in addition
to AHEPA family's community service
programs, especially affordable housing
for the elderly and resources for survivors of domestic violence and for medical researchers," Horiates said. "We com-

Investment in U.S.-Eastern
Mediterranean Partnership. One of
the bills, the domestic priorities and
international assistance appropriations minibus, H.R.1865, includes The
Eastern Mediterranean Security and
Energy Partnership Act (Senate version
S.1102, as amended), comprehensive
legislation which provides the framework for enhanced United States relations with Greece, Cyprus, and Israel;
and counters Russian influence in the
Eastern Mediterranean.
AHEPA applauded the Act's
inclusion of a provision to authorize

Supreme President Horiates with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (at left) and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis
(at right).

mend Congress, and especially thank
congressional appropriators, congressional leadership, and our champions,
for significant investment in federal programs important to the AHEPA family's
mission and vital to U.S. engagement
in the eastern Mediterranean. We also
thank the community for its advocacy
on these myriad of policy priorities."

THE AHEPAN · Spring 2020

funding of the International Military
Education and Training (IMET) program for Greece, and for the first time,
Cyprus. The authorization of appropriations is sustained over three fiscal
years, 2020 to 2022, with meaningful
increases in authorized investment
each of those fiscal years - an AHEPA
priority.

* FY2020 authorization: $1.3 million
for Greece; $200,000 for Cyprus
* FY2021 authorization: $1.5 million
for Greece; $500,000 for Cyprus
* FY2022 authorization: $1.8 million
for Greece; $750,000 for Cyprus
"A strong and sustained IMET program with Greece will ensure relationships are cultivated and enhanced, and
further, it will have a lasting beneficial
impact toward the strengthening of
United States-Greece military-to-military relations among longstanding
NATO allies," Horiates said. "In addition,
the introduction of sustained IMET funding for Cyprus speaks to the elevated
level of importance the United States
places on Cyprus as a strategic security
partner. Taken together, they contribute
to the groundwork for a more enduring,
lasting U.S. partnership in the eastern
Mediterranean."
The IMET program advances the
professional military education of the
Greek and Cypriot Armed Forces. It
also contributes toward the strengthening of United States security interests
in an increasingly important part of the
world, the Eastern Mediterranean.
"AHEPA is pleased the Act also provides $3 million of Foreign Military
Financing (FMF) assistance to Greece in
fiscal year 2021," Horiates added.
"We are deeply grateful to Senators
Robert Menendez and Marco Rubio
for championing the inclusion of
The Eastern Mediterranean Security
and Energy Partnership Act with
this strong provision on IMET into
the FY2020 appropriations package," Horiates said. "We also thank
U.S. Representatives Ted Deutch, Gus

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The Ahepan Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Ahepan Spring 2020