AHEPA Attends 33rd PSEKA Conference
AHEPA participated at the 33rd Annual Conference hosted by PSEKA (International Coordinating Committee – Justice for Cyprus), June 6-8, in Washington. In addition, AHEPA was a proud sponsor of the conference, which brought U.S. policymakers together with advocates from the community to discuss U.S. policy toward Cyprus and Greece as well as developments pertaining to Cyprus settlement talks and energy exploration.
President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades attended the conference dinner and received an award. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and American University President and former Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell were also among the honorees. U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus Kathleen Doherty, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jonathan Cohen, and several members of Congress and ministers of the Republic of Cyprus, attended. Supreme President Andrew C. Zachariades and Executive Director Basil Mossaidis represented AHEPA.
“We commend PSEKA President Philip Christopher, a Brother Ahepan, for organizing a constructive conference, which he has done for many years, and AHEPA was proud to be one of the conference sponsors,” Supreme President Zachariades said. “We salute the community for coming together, through various organizations, to elevate the foreign policy priorities of the community on what has become a very busy agenda in Washington.”
Programming Update | 95th Supreme Convention
Are you a delegate or alternate to the 95th AHEPA Family Supreme Convention? Or are you attending as a guest? Register online by June 23 and save money!
Rebuild St. Nicholas Campaign
AHEPA is determined to meet its Saint Nicholas Capital Campaign fund raising goal of $1 million. Donations–large and small–keep pouring in for AHEPA’s #RebuildStNicholas capital campaign.
NEW! | Our campaign continues its momentum as we head into summer. Thank you AHEPA Chapter 304, Alton, Ill., $1,100; John Valedes Westchester Chapter 51, Yonkers, N.Y., $500; and Sam G. Solon Chapter 267, Duluth, Minn., $250, for their donations to the campaign!
#RebuildStNicholas campaign webpage
Check Out: Our panel of donors
TAKE ACTION!
Has your district or chapter organized a fundraiser for the campaign to #RebuildStNicholas? Take action and support AHEPA’s campaign today! Please tweet about your fundraising activity by using #RebuildStNicholas to share your work with the broader community!
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St. Nicholas Appeal Video
AHEPA has produced its latest appeal video to help #RebuildStNicholas.
TAKE ACTION: Donate Today!
MORE TO SHARE: Initial appeal video released at the 94th Grand Banquet!
Project Update
Live Webcam!
Thanks to a live webcam, you can watch progress being made with a first-hand look at the site where Saint Nicholas National Shrine will be build.
Washington Update
Deadline Today! | Hellenic Caucus Circulating Letter to Colleagues Opposing Arms Sale to Turkish Security Detail
The co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Carolyn Maloney are circulating a letter to their colleagues, asking for their support to urge Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to block a small arms sale that would benefit the very Turkish security detail that attacked American protesters on May 16; an attack which the U.S. House condemned on June 6 by a 397-0 vote.
The co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Carolyn Maloney are circulating a letter to their colleagues, asking for their support to urge Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to block a small arms sale that would benefit the very Turkish security detail that attacked American protesters on May 16; an attack which the U.S. House condemned on June 6 by a 397-0 vote.
Tell Congress to Back the Return of the Parthenon Marbles
AHEPA commends the introduction of H.Con.Res.51, a bipartisan, concurrent resolution that expresses the sense of Congress that the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece. U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) introduced the resolution, May 2.
It’s a New Congress! Help Grow the Hellenic Caucus!
The 115th Congress is well underway. And with it, the work renews for the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, led by Co-chairs U.S. Reps. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY). The Hellenic Caucus has 123 members.
Is your U.S. representative a member of the Hellenic Caucus? Click here to find out.
Download & Share: Action alert to help you outreach to Congress
The Hellenic Caucus has been an active, bipartisan group in Congress since its founding in 1995.
Upcoming Events & Deadlines
June
16 | U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney/Overseas Private Investment Corporation special presentation on Investing in Greece, Marriott Marquis, New York, N.Y., 8 a.m.
July
25-29 | AHEPA Family 95th Supreme Convention, Orlando, Fla.
Greek American News Digest
Editor’s Note: Editorials, Commentaries, and Opinion pieces are shared for information purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the Order of AHEPA, its affiliated organizations, and members.
Pence says no one ‘can question Cyprus’ sovereignty’
Cyprus Mail (June 8)
US Vice President Mike Pence assured President Nikos Anastasiades on Thursday that no one can question Cyprus’ sovereignty, in a meeting which Anastasiades described as “very friendly.”The meeting lasted for almost an hour, according to an official statement. read more
FYROM Willing to Change Name to Overcome Greek Objections and Join NATO
Greek Reporter (June 12)
The new Foreign Affairs Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Dimitrov, said that the country is willing to change its name in order to overcome Greece’s objection and become part of NATO. According to the Financial Times, the FYROM minister said his country will consider fresh proposals on its provisional name so that Greece can lift its 2008 veto regarding FYROM’s membership in NATO. read more
Greece Declares Emergency After Earthquake Hits Lesbos
New York Times (June 13)
The Greek government declared a state of emergency on the island of Lesbos on Tuesday, the day after a strong earthquake struck the island, killing a woman, injuring several people and leaving hundreds of residents homeless. read more
Carpe Diem: U.S. Students Revive Latin and Greek
The Wall Street Journal (June 6)
Latin is a dead language, but don’t tell that to 12-year-old Faiyaz Khan. A sixth-grade student at Decatur Classical School, an elementary school on the north side of Chicago, he began taking Latin in kindergarten and is getting pretty good at reading Cicero without a dictionary. read more
Amateur Soccer in New York Built on Greek Immigrants’ Pride, New York Times Says
The National Herald (June 12)
The New York Times’ Graham Parker writes about the New York Cosmopolitan League and the contribution of the Greek-Cypriots and Greeks in the history of the amateur soccer in the USA. “As the New York Pancyprian Freedoms play their Greek American counterparts on the soccer field below him, Pancyprian founder Philip Christopher is telling a story. read more
E.U. Moves Against 3 Countries That Don’t Take Refugees
New York Times (June 13)
European Union authorities began a legal case on Tuesday against three member countries that have refused to share the burden of hosting migrants arriving on the bloc’s southern shores.The decisions, against the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, will be formally made on Wednesday. This is the first time the European Commission, the bloc’s executive body, has flexed its legal muscle over the divisive issue. read more
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