For the 40th Annual PSEKA Cyprus Conference, PSEKA brought together in Washington, DC Greek American leaders from AHEPA, AHI, Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce, FCAO, the Chios Federations of America and Canada and others to hear from 35 of our country’s most significant members of Congress and Senators, as well as high level officials in the Trump Administration. It was a critical opportunity to share with these policymakers key issues of concern to the Hellenic community and to honor some of those who have been longtime supporters on our issues.
Less than one month after Michael Rigas was confirmed by the US Senate to assume the prestigious position of Deputy Secretary of State in the Trump Administration, he met with top officials of the Republic of Cyprus and with Greek American leaders from across America and abroad at the 40th Annual PSEKA Cyprus Conference. In his position, Rigas serves under the Secretary of State who is the highest ranking Cabinet member and fourth in line for presidential succession. Serious issues relating to Cyprus were addressed in the gathering where Secretary Rigas was presented the Athens/Livanos Award. This award is presented to an individual who, like Andrew Athens and George P. Livanos “has utilized ancient Hellenic values to realize extraordinary achievement in modern society while contributing to the improvement of our civilization.”
We were honored to have participating with us in these meetings the Deputy Minister to Cyprus President Christodoulides, Irene Piki; Cyprus Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis who travelled from Cyprus to join the conference; and the Ambassadors of Cyprus and Greece, the Honorable Evangelos Savva and the Honorable Ekaterina Nassika, respectively. Each addressed the group providing their perspectives on issues crucial to our communities.
In addition to meeting with and honoring Secretary Rigas, the group of Hellenic leaders traveled to the US Capitol building where Republican and Democrat leaders of the US Congress showed their support for Cyprus and Hellenic issues. The Republican Leader of the US House of Representatives, Steve Scalise, the Democratic Leader of the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, and the Democratic Leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries spent considerable time with those attending the PSEKA conference discussing issues of importance to the Cypriot and Greek communities.
Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees also met with PSEKA Conference attendees. They included the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch (R-ID), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE). Senator Coons also was presented the Paraskevaides/Mouyiaris Award as an individual who, like Nikos Mouyiaris and George Paraskevaides, “has utilized ancient Hellenic values to contribute to the nations and people of Cyprus and America and to Hellenism in the modern world.”
Conference attendees heard from the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and had the opportunity to honor the Vice Chair on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Darrell Issa (R-CA) with the Sarbanes Freedom Award which recognizes those whose efforts “have contributed to the removal of the barbed wire which has divided the nation of Cyprus for over 50 years.”
Leaders in the Cyprus community also recognized Andreas Kramvis with the Paraskevaides/Mouyiaris Award for his dedication to Cypriot issues. Kramvis served as CEO of a number of large multinational businesses in the Industrial, Electronics, Chemical and Oil Sectors. He retired from Honeywell International as Vice Chairman and is known for effecting major company turnarounds and for introducing leading edge technologies. The Andreas & Shirley Kramvis Foundation, established in 2018, supports principally Greek and Cyprus philanthropic causes on an annual basis including the Athens Foodbank, Orphanages in Greece, the Cyprus Children’s Fund, the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society and the Karaiskakion Foundation in Cyprus.
Conference attendees heard from many other members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in addition to Congressmen Meeks and Issa, including Gabe Amo (D-RI), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Julie Johnson (D-TX), Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-NJ), Sarah McBride (D-DE), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Greek American members Dina Titus (D-NV) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY).
The PSEKA Cyprus Conference was an opportunity to honor other critical policymakers including:
- Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) who was presented with the James Williams Award, named for an African American from Baltimore, MD who went to Greece in 1821 to fight alongside Hellenes in the Greek War of Independence
- Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who was honored with the Frizis Award, named after Mordechai Frizis, the Jewish Greek hero who was the first high ranking Greek military officer to give his life in defense of freedom against the Axis Powers in 1940
Other Members of the House who expressed their strong support for Cyprus and for a just Cyprus settlement include Greek American Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) and Mike Haridopolos (R-FL), as well as Congressmen Dan Goldman (D-NY), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Robert Menendez, Jr. (D-NJ), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Jim Himes (D-CT), and Tom Suozzi (D-NY).
Another consequential member of the US State Department, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Josh Huck, was honored by the group and will soon be stationed in Athens as the second highest ranking official in the US Embassy. Huck was presented the Conalis-Kontou Award for his significant contributions behind the scenes for Cyprus-US and Greece-US bilateral relations.
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