Special to Hellenic News of America
If elected to Congress, I intend to play an active role in foreign policy issues. One of my important areas of focus will be the Eastern Mediterranean, a critical geostrategic region at the intersection of North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The United States must have a foreign policy toward the region that reflects both our values and our interests. NATO ally Greece and strategic partner Cyprus play an increasingly crucial role in projecting U.S. and Western interests in the region, especially as Turkey has distanced itself from the alliance Western world under the rule of its authoritarian and Islamic fundamentalist leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
To this end, I look forward to strengthening relations between the United States, Greece and Cyprus, and to holding President Erdogan accountable once in Congress. I will also join the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, which will allow me to work with like-minded individuals to achieve these goals. Additionally, I will collaborate with Greek-American and Cypriot-American organizations, stakeholders, and constituents to advance our shared interests.
GREECE
Greece and the United States enjoy strong relations in various sectors, including defense, trade, business, energy, tourism and people-to-people ties. Greece has become an increasingly important defense partner of the United States in the region, with the United States and Greece signing an enhanced Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) in October 2021, which will allow U.S. forces in Greece to train and operate with additional resources. sites in Greece. Greek naval bases, such as Souda Bay, as well as key ports, such as Alexandroupolis, are absolutely essential to US military operations and the projection of its influence towards the Balkans, South Africa and North and Black Sea. Greece is a pillar of stability defending Europe’s southeastern flank, which is more important than ever given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Greece’s efforts to assist Ukraine, in coordination with the United States, further strengthen Greece’s role as an important and reliable ally of the United States.
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As a Member of Congress, I will promote the U.S.-Greece relationship, including our critical defense relationship. I will work to actively participate in the appropriations process to ensure that U.S.-Greece defense ties are properly supported, including through Foreign Military Sales (FMS), foreign military financing (FMF) and international military education and training (IMET). To this end, I will support the full implementation of bipartisan legislation passed in recent years, including the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 and the Inter-Parliamentary Partnership and Defense Act. United and Greece.
CYPRUS
This year will mark the 48th anniversary of Turkey’s illegal invasion of Cyprus. Turkey has kept around 40,000 troops on the island since its invasion. The United States must refocus on the Cyprus problem, particularly given President Erdogan’s broader hegemonic ambitions in North Africa, Southern Europe, and the Middle East, which threaten both regional and state interests. -United. I will work with my colleagues in Congress to pressure Turkey to end its occupation of Cyprus, so that we can have a whole, free, and peaceful Cyprus. Cyprus deserves to be reunified under a just settlement.
I will also highlight the need to view Cyprus from a multi-faceted perspective. The Republic of Cyprus is a vital geostrategic partner of the United States and must be treated as such. Cyprus should not be seen as “parochial” or reduced to an “inter-communal conflict”, erroneous and outdated views that appease Turkey and fail to recognize the strategic importance of Cyprus. Cyprus is the junction point between Europe, Africa and the Middle East, close to Israel, Lebanon and the Suez Canal. We can no longer ignore the geostrategic value of Cyprus.
Furthermore, Cyprus has the potential to play a vital role in diversifying Europe away from Russian oil and gas. To this end, Cyprus will play a leading and instrumental role in the creation of regional infrastructure projects, including the Euro-Asia Interconnector, the Euro-Africa Interconnector and the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Pipeline. The Biden State Department has displayed an inconsistent policy towards energy in the Eastern Mediterranean, which only serves to appease Turkey and the Russian Federation. In contrast, I will promote Eastern Mediterranean energy as a national security priority for the United States and Europe. To this end, I strongly support the rights of the Republic of Cyprus to develop its significant oil and gas resources in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and I oppose any irredentist claims by Turkey over the resources. natural resources of the Republic of Cyprus. .
The East Med Act pushed the United States to lift the embargo and it is time to facilitate arms supplies to the Republic of Cyprus so that Russian-made weapons can be transferred to Ukraine.
Finally, I will also focus on the humanitarian challenges that Cyprus faces due to Turkish occupation, including the issue of “missing persons” following the 1974 invasion, including several American citizens. American citizens cannot simply be murdered by foreign militaries without accountability, and I will work to ensure the recovery of all outstanding American citizens.
GREECE, CYPRUS AND ISRAEL
Over the past decade, Greece, Israel and Cyprus have established a close trilateral alliance at the government-to-government level, with collaboration in various sectors, including energy, security, trade, defense and relations between the peoples. . The energy triangle of Greece, Cyprus and Israel, together with Egypt, will enable the formation of an Eastern Mediterranean energy corridor which will be very important in helping Europe wean itself off Russian oil and gas. Laws such as the East Med Act created a “3+1” mechanism and made it clear that the US Congress formally supported this regional alliance. I fully support the “3+1” mechanism and the alliance between the three democracies and pillars of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, Greece, Cyprus and Israel, and I will advocate for additional legislation to further strengthen the frameworks and regional synergies.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOR THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE
Religious freedom is a fundamental right. Unfortunately, Turkey’s persecution of religious minorities has become systemic, particularly under the rule of President Erdogan, who seeks to destroy Turkey’s traditional secular forces and transform the country into a fundamentalist religious nation.
As a Member of Congress, I will call on Turkey to respect human rights and religious freedom, particularly those of the Ecumenical Patriarch, leader of more than 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. More specifically, I urge the Turkish government to recognize the legal personality of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as the ecumenical stature and role of His All Holiness.
TURKEY
While Turkey is a member of NATO, President Erdogan is deeply rooted in the religio-nationalism of the Muslim Brotherhood. President Erdogan wants to establish Turkey as hegemonic in North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, and is willing to flout the rules-based international order to achieve this vision.
To this end, in addition to the occupation of Cyprus and violations of Greek airspace, the Turkish government has engaged in the following provocative actions in recent years:
• Actively support Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood to the detriment of Israel.
• The transit of mercenaries, including jihadists, to conflicts in Libya, Syria and the Caucasus region, contributing to further destabilization of already tumultuous areas.
• Allowing itself to become a transit point for ISIS.
• Invade northeast Syria to attack the United States’ Kurdish allies, the Syrian Democratic Forces.
• Demonstrate hostility toward America’s regional allies, including Egypt and the Gulf States.
• Help Iran evade American sanctions, notably through the state bank Halkbank.
• The purchase of Russian S-400 missile systems, undermining Turkey’s NATO obligations.
• In 2017, President Erdogan’s bodyguards assaulted American citizens on American soil, bringing Turkish authoritarianism to our country.
• Unjustly imprisoning U.S. citizens, including Pastor Andrew Brunson, and sentencing a U.S. consulate employee in Turkey to nine years in prison in 2020 under questionable circumstances.
The preceding examples are just a few of the Turkish government’s many transgressions, not to mention Turkey’s democratic backsliding and countless human rights violations. As such, I fully support the decision to withdraw from the F-35 program and will work to block any attempt by Turkey to re-enter the program or obtain F-16s. If Turkey purchases additional Russian equipment, new sanctions should be imposed. Additionally, I support a comprehensive congressional review of U.S.-Turkey relations and wish to determine whether Turkey is in violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), due to its violations of the Greek airspace and its support for international terrorist groups such as Hamas. Violations of the AECA can result in the suspension of arms sales and the imposition of additional sanctions. Finally, I support the decision of Congress and the Administration to recognize the Armenian Genocide, and I would support other resolutions recognizing the ethnic cleansing of Anatolian Greeks and condemning the Smyrna disaster.
