[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 88 (Thursday, May 20, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E559-E560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 LETTER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN FROM THE AMERICAN HELLENIC INSTITUTE ON THE 
                     STATE OF U.S.-GREECE RELATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 20, 2021

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, as the founder 
and Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, I include 
in the Record a letter from the American Hellenic Institute to 
President Biden regarding the Institute's present perspective on the 
state of the U .S.-Greece relations. The letter includes discussion of 
issues on defense, security, and counterterrorism; international 
commerce and trade and energy security; and the Cyprus Issue.

                                                   April 22, 2021.
     President Joseph R. Biden,
     The White House,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear President Biden: On behalf of the nationwide 
     membership of the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), thank 
     you for your remarks to commemorate the 200th anniversary of 
     Greek Independence. Although many aspects of your remarks 
     resonated with the Greek American community, the following 
     excerpt struck a chord:
       ``What really binds us together are our values. We are two 
     people rooted in a common conviction that every human being 
     is entitled to be treated with dignity. And it is our shared 
     commitment to liberty, human rights, and the rule of law, 
     that empowers us to write our own futures, whether 200 years 
     ago or today.''
       Mr. President, the momentous occasion to mark Greece's 
     Bicentennial provides the opportunity to convey the 
     Institute's present perspective on the state of U.S.-Greece 
     relations, which is flourishing under the ``shared commitment 
     to liberty, human rights, and the rule of law'' that you 
     correctly and eloquently stated. Unfortunately, malign actors 
     in the region, especially Turkey, display a blatant and an 
     intense disregard for these shared values with provocative 
     actions that threaten the United States' allies and strategic 
     partners as well as our interests in the Eastern 
     Mediterranean.
       It is in the United States' best interest for Southeastern 
     Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean to be politically, 
     economically and socially stable, and for democratic 
     principles to flourish, including adherence to the rule of 
     law. Greece is an immensely valuable link as ``a pillar of 
     stability'' in the region as several high-level U.S. 
     government officials have noted.
       The U.S.-Greece relationship has reached new heights by 
     virtue of an ongoing Strategic Dialogue, which include 
     avenues for cooperation across sectors, such as: regional 
     cooperation, defense and security, and trade and investment, 
     among others, are plotted for implementation.


                 Defense, Security and Counterterrorism

       Greece advances U.S. interests as a pivotal and dependable 
     NATO and a frontline state against terrorism. The Mutual 
     Defense Cooperation Agreement between the United States and 
     Greece illustrates the two allies' commitment to address 
     longterm security challenges in the region. The Agreement 
     currently is under revision. After it is upgraded, it will 
     offer more flexibility to deepen cooperation in the defense 
     sector, according to Greece's Minister of Defense Nikos 
     Panagiotopoulos, with whom I held a public discussion last 
     month. For its part, Greece further demonstrates its 
     commitment to the Alliance as one of a minority of NATO 
     members to meet NATO's minimum standard on defense 
     expenditures; second only to the U.S., by percentage. To 
     demonstrate further:
       Souda Bay, Crete: in our view, the most important U.S. 
     military facility in the Mediterranean Sea from where in the 
     past joint USN/USAF reconnaissance missions and air refueling 
     support for U.S. and NATO operations were implemented 
     successfully and continues to be immensely important.
       NATO Joint-Command HQ: Thessaloniki hosts a NATO Rapid 
     Deployment Corps combined with its Third Army Corps for two 
     years.
       Operation Atlantic Resolve: Greece enables a substantial 
     portion of the U.S. Army's 10th Combat Aviation Brigade to 
     enter the European theater through the port of Thessaloniki 
     and to depart through Alexandropoulis. Alexandroupolis is 
     being recognized as a city with increased geostrategic 
     importance, which can also contribute to economic development 
     and energy security.
       USAF temporarily operated MQ-9 Reaper Drones from Greece's 
     Larisa Air Force Base.
       The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade of the U.S. Army, from 
     October-Nov 20, 2020 and from February-Mar 21, 2021, 
     stationed and trained at Volos and Stefanovikeio.
       It is evident Greece contributes significantly to U.S. 
     interests. However, it becomes increasingly challenging for 
     Greece to fulfill this important role when it constantly is 
     expending valuable resources to defend itself against 
     aggressive and provocative behavior emanating from a fellow 
     NATO member, Turkey.
       Turkey engaged in over 7,000 violations of Greece's 
     territorial waters and airspace in 2020. There were 4,605 
     airspace and 3,215 maritime incidents.
       Turkey's routine challenges to Greece's sovereignty must 
     cease and desist. In fact, Greece's Chief of the Hellenic 
     National Defense General Staff, General Konstantinos Floros, 
     called out Turkey's provocative behavior, stating to an AHI 
     audience on April 1, 2021 that Turkey threatens ``Greece's 
     sovereign rights.'' In this context, Gen. Floros explicitly 
     cited as example the maritime border Memorandum of 
     Understanding (MoU) between Turkey and Libya. In addition, 
     U.S. Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt has called the MoU 
     ``unhelpful'' and ``escalatory'' in nature in previous public 
     statements. Ambassador Pyatt also affirmed the 
     internationally recognized legal concept that ``inhabited 
     islands as a matter of customary international law are 
     entitled to the same treatment as continental territory.''


          International Commerce and Trade and Energy Security

       Greece also is an important player in international 
     commerce and trade, especially via its shipping industry. 
     According to Greek shipping industry statistics, 22.5% and 
     20.3% of the Greek-owned fleet's activity is dedicated to the 
     U.S. and the European trade, respectively; and ``Greek-owned 
     ships represent almost 21% of the global tonnage.'''
       AHI requests the Administration maintain high-level 
     engagement with Greece on economic relations and encourages 
     future U.S.-Greece economic relationships to pursue 
     commercial partnerships and opportunities for more U.S. 
     investment in Greece.
       However, it is important to note that Turkey also threatens 
     Greece's economic development. Turkey exploits its control 
     over the flow of migrants to Europe, in essence, weaponizing 
     them. Historically, Greece has carried the heavy burden of 
     migrant flows to Europe, which has had a detrimental impact 
     upon Greece's economy. Prime Minister Mitsotakis has been 
     very clear to state that Turkey bears its responsibility due 
     to Turkey's ability to control ``the flows in the Aegean.''
       Moreover, Turkey's threat to energy security in the region 
     is not in the best interests of the United States and stymies 
     Greece's potential as an energy hub. Turkey has encroached 
     upon Greece's continental shelf off the coast of the Greek 
     island complex of Kastellorizo in the Eastern Mediterranean 
     Sea. This island complex is sovereign Greek territory. It has 
     a continental shelf as defined under the UN Convention on the 
     Law of the Sea which is part of the Greek continental shelf. 
     The island complex is also part of the Exclusive Economic 
     Zone (EEZ) which is available to Greece. Ambassador Pyatt 
     underscored upholding international law when he stated the 
     U.S. position that islands have ``exactly the same'' 
     continental shelf and exclusive economic zone rights as does 
     any mainland territory. ``I have also made a point on many 
     occasions . . . that the United States adheres to the 
     principal of international maritime law that islands, 
     including Kastellorizo, have exactly the same continental 
     shelf and EEZ rights as does any mainland territory,'' 
     Ambassador Pyatt stated to reporters on July 23, 2020.
       Turkey also has exercised ``gunboat diplomacy'' in the 
     Eastern Mediterranean. Turkish drillships have been in 
     Cypriot waters, conducting activities illegally in violation 
     of Cyprus' sovereignty and international law. AHI welcomes 
     the United States' stated support for the Republic of 
     Cyprus's right to develop its natural resources, including in 
     its exclusive economic zone.


                            The Cyprus Issue

       A key to peace and stability in the region is for good 
     neighborly relations among NATO members and respect for the 
     rule of law. However, Turkey's continuing occupation of 
     Cyprus, which is a member of the European Union; its 
     intransigence in solving the Cyprus problem, and its refusal 
     to recognize the Republic of Cyprus, are detrimental to U.S. 
     interests. To illustrate Turkey's intransigence, Turkey 
     insists on maintaining troop levels in Cyprus and on 
     remaining a guarantor power as part of a solution to the 
     Cyprus issue, which led to the collapse of settlement talks 
     in 2017.
       Secretary of State Antony Blinken's response on the Cyprus 
     issue during a March 10th, 2021 House Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs hearing is welcomed: ``We strongly support a 
     comprehensive settlement that reunifies Cyprus in a 
     Bicommunal Federation. We

[[Page E560]]

     engage in the effort to advance that prospect, including the 
     supportive role of the United Nations, and as well, direct 
     American engagement in that effort. So I think you'll see 
     American diplomacy fully engage.''
       However, Mr. President, as a public servant who advocated 
     for upholding the rule of law on Cyprus throughout your long 
     career, I am reminded of your January 27, 1989 letter to then 
     AHI Chairman Dean Lomis, where you stated: ``. . . we must 
     urge the new Administration [President George H.W. Bush] to 
     make Cyprus a higher policy priority in American foreign 
     policy . . . we cannot lose sight of the fact that the rights 
     of Greek Cypriots have been trampled upon, and we must ensure 
     that their claims to ancestral land and property seized 
     during the 1974 invasion are not compromised. Finally, we 
     must send a signal to Turkey that until it has removed every 
     last soldier from Cyprus, it will never be recognized as a 
     full member of the international community.''
       It is this same clear message to Turkey regarding Cyprus 
     that the United States must send today because the conditions 
     are the same, if not worse, as recent public discourse 
     emanating from the Turkish government has called for a two-
     state solution.
       Mr. President, the United States-Greece relationship is a 
     strong and healthy one thanks in large part to the shared 
     values identified in your Greek Independence Day celebratory 
     remarks. Greece has proven to be a ``pillar of stability,'' a 
     frontline state to combat terrorism, and a reliable NATO 
     ally. AHI anticipates that bilateral relations, which are at 
     a high point, will be taken to even greater heights during 
     your Administration. By contrast, Turkey is the perpetrator 
     of instability in the Eastern Mediterranean and broader 
     region which is detrimental to U.S. security interests. 
     Turkey is a failed NATO ally that cozies up to Russia and 
     Iran and is a threat to U.S. allies and strategic partners. 
     The U.S. must demonstrate strong, unequivocal support of 
     Greece by continuing to strengthen relations across all 
     sectors and by applying the rule of law to Turkey for its 
     illegal actions.
       Respectfully submitted,
           Sincerely,
                                                   Nick Larigakis,
     President.

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