[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17230]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                WELCOMING AMBASSADOR VASSILIS KASKARELIS

  (Ms. TITUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome the new Ambassador 
from Greece to Washington. Ambassador Vassilis Kaskarelis has a long 
and distinguished diplomatic career having represented Greece at the 
U.N., NATO, and the E.U., among other posts. No doubt he will be an 
excellent partner as we move to strengthen Greek-American relations on 
issues like Cyprus and the ecumenical patriarch, for example, as well 
as on Greece's pivotal position in the geopolitics of the region and in 
the new global economy.
  I also congratulate Greece on the recent opening of the spectacular 
Acropolis Museum. I was honored to represent President Obama and the 
United States at its inauguration. Built in stone from the region and 
bathed in natural light reflected from the nearby Aegean, it houses 
some of the world's greatest antiquities. Accordingly, it cries out for 
the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum.

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