AHEPA e-News! - Vol. 09 Issue 29 - Wednesday, July 22, 2015

 

ICYMI: AHEPA Marks Somber 41st Anniversary of Invasion, Occupation of Cyprus

 

WASHINGTON (July 20, 2015) -- John W. Galanis, supreme president, American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), a leading membership-based association for the nation's millions of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes, issued the following statement on the 41st anniversary of the illegal invasion and subsequent occupation of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkey that occurred July 20, 1974:

 

"Today we mark a somber day--the 41st anniversary of the illegal invasion and occupation of the Republic of Cyprus by the Republic of Turkey.  This was, and remains to this very day, an intolerable act; one that is a gross violation of the rule of law, human rights, and democratic ideals. We pause to remember the innocent civilians who lost their lives and the thousands who went missing, including four American citizens whose investigations remain incomplete.  The illegal invasion and occupation caused the displacement of 170,000 Greek Cypriot refugees who to this day are unable to return to their homes which is also a violation of human rights as determined by the European Commission on Human Rights. Moreover, Turkey's restrictions upon religious freedom and destruction of Cyprus' cultural and religious heritage in Turkish-occupied Cyprus have been well-documented by the U.S. Helsinki Commission, the Law Library of Congress, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and several media publications.
WASHINGTON UPDATE

AHEPA Supports Provision on U.S.-Cyprus Security Relationship in Defense Authorization Bill

AHEPA will be on Capitol Hill this week to convey its support to key congressional offices for a provision in the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that requests an assessment of the security relationship between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus be conducted and reported to certain federal agencies and congressional committees. The bill is in conference committee as the House and Senate work out their differences.  Supreme President John W. Galanis sent a letter to conferees that conveyed AHEPA's position on the provision.

Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee to Hold Nomination Hearing for Next U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus; AHEPA Outreaches to Presiding Members

Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation will hold a nomination hearing for U.S. Ambassador-designate to the Republic of Cyprus Kathleen Ann Doherty.  AHEPA outreached to Subcommittee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI), who will preside over the hearing, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), submitting a letter authored by Supreme President John W. Galanis with a set of questions for the senators' consideration. The letter also conveyed support for Ms. Doherty's nomination.

U.S. Rep. Bilirakis' Floor Speech on Turkey's Invasion of Cyprus

Yesterday, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), co-chair, Congressional Hellenic Caucus, delivered a speech on the House Floor about the 41st anniversary of the Turkish occupation of Cyprus.

Rep. Bilirakis Speaks About Turkish Occupation of Cyprus
Rep. Bilirakis Speaks About
Turkish Occupation of Cyprus

 

House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Holds Hearing on European Union's Future

On July 14, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats held a hearing titled, "The European Union's Future."  Subcommittee Chairman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) chaired the hearing. As expected, a portion of the questioning directed toward the witness panel focused on Greece's debt crisis and its impact on the EU and its potential impact on the U.S. 

  
PHOTO GALLERY


Click the picture above for photos from  
our Supreme Convention!
 
REBUILD SAINT NICHOLAS SHRINE CAMPAIGN


 

THANK YOU!


ICYMI: Nearly $115,000 in donations to the campaign to help rebuild Saint Nicholas National Shrine at World Trade Center were announced by AHEPA family entities at the 93rd Grand Banquet held July 4 in San Francisco. From $37,000 from our Junior Orders, the Sons of Pericles and Maids of Athena, to $30,000 from the Daughters of Penelope, to nearly $48,000 from AHEPA chapters all across the AHEPA domain, the AHEPA family pulled together for an impressive demonstration of grassroots fundraising for such a worthy initiative. Thank you!

 

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!

 


The Ahepan
NEW! The summer 2015 edition of 
The Ahepan is out! Catch highlights from the 41st Biennial Congressional Banquet, the AHEPA Family Leadership Excursion, and AHEPA's participation at the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March for voting rights. Of course, catch up on all the grassroots work of our chapters.

Click the icon to read the digital edition -- share with friends and family!
Upcoming Events

 

July

24 - 26: AHEPA Cup, Nafpaktos, Greece


September

26: National Leadership Conference, Washington, DC


October

2 - 4: District 5 Wildwood Weekend Reunion

Greek American  

News Digest

 

PM tweaks bill ahead of vote as lenders return to Athens - EKATHIMERINI -  July 21 - Potentially contentious provisions regarding farmers' taxation and the phasing out of early retirement have been withdrawn from the bill Parliament is due to vote on Wednesday, in a bid to ensure that the  government suffers as few defections as possible.  The alteration was made as representatives of Greece's lenders arrived in Athens ahead of the start of talks on the country's third bailout and the extra measures the government will have to adopt...read more   

  

PM announces cabinet reshuffle, 10 ministerial posts to change hands - ANA-MPA - July 17 - Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday announced a mini cabinet reshuffle, replacing ministers that have either resigned or are leaving the government. Panos Skourletis, until now minister of labour, will become Productive Reconstruction, Energy and Environment Minister in the place of Panagiotis Lafazanis, who is leaving the government.  The labour ministry, which will also now incorporate the social insurance portfolio, will be transferred to George Katrougalos, until now the alternate minister for administrative reform. ANEL MP Pavlos Haikalis will join the government as deputy minister for social insurance...read more     


 

Greek debt crisis: Banks reopen amid tax rise - BBC News - July 20 - Greek banks are reopening after being closed for three weeks because of the deadlock over the country's debt, as the government initiates repayment of its loans to the ECB and IMF.  Athens reached a cash-for-reforms deal aimed at avoiding a debt default and an exit from the eurozone.  But many restrictions remain and Greeks also face price rises with an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT)... read more    

 

Anastasiades welcomes Akinci's reference to 1974 'war'  as Cyprus marks invasion - CYPRUS MAIL - July 20 - President Nicos Anastasiades on Monday welcomed statements by Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on Sunday that what happened in 1974 was a war  and not just a 'peace operation'.  It was the first time any Turkish Cypriot leader had used the word 'war' in referring to the Turkish invasion or acknowledged the effects it had on the Greek Cypriot population.  According to Turkish Cypriot media, in his statement, Akinci said: "There is no doubt what we called 'peace operation' can also say it was a war...read more       

 

Rescue workers find man's body as Greek wildfires retreat - REUTERS - July 19 - Rescue workers found the burned body of a 47-year-old man as they brought under control wildfires that had broken out on Friday around Athens and in other parts of southern Greece, the country's fire brigade said.
 The wildfires had largely retreated on Sunday but firemen were still on the ground and the risk of more fires remained high due to strong winds, the fire brigade said in a statement...read more    

The Politicians Who Warned Greece-but Were Ignored - WSJ - July 11 - ATHENS-A note from Greece's finance minister to his prime minister warned that the country needed tough economic overhauls if its economy was to live up to its European aspirations."We can take on the task to truly lead the country to a European direction, on condition that the Greeks-those who are living well, not those who are suffering-will make the necessary sacrifices," the finance minister wrote...read more  

 

Nearly a quarter of Greek firms seek move abroad, survey shows - EKATHIMERINI - July 17 - Capital controls imposed by the Greek government are taking a heavy toll on the country's businesses, a survey showed Monday, with nearly a quarter saying they are seeking to move their headquarters  abroad.  Endeavour Greece, a non-profit group that supports entrepreneurs, found that 58 percent of the 300 companies it surveyed between July 13 and July 17 reported a "significant impact on their operations caused by the limitations imposed to cross-border transactions."... read more    

 

 





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is an electronic news service of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.
For more information visit the AHEPA Online Headquarters at www.ahepa.org.
1909 Q Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 Tel: 202-232-6300 Fax: 202-232-2140 Email: [email protected]