WASHINGTON, DC — Lexington Institute, a nonprofit public-policy think tank, in cooperation with the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) hosted a high-level policy luncheon discussion for Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, on the occasion of the admiral’s visit to Washington, D.C., October 23, 2017, at the Capital Hilton. More than 30 policy experts from the public and private sectors, including officials from the White House, Pentagon, and Department of State; as well as representatives from the defense and security industries and think-tanks, attended the invite-only event.
“We had a substantive discussion about Greece’s geostrategic importance, its vision for enhanced defense cooperation with the United States, and its national security challenges in an increasingly uncertain part of the world,” Larigakis said. “The event was extremely timely, coming soon after the visit of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to Washington. On behalf of AHI, I thank our colleagues at Lexington Institute, Chief Executive Officer Merrick “Mac” Carey and Vice President Constance Douris. It was a pleasure to work with them to make the event a productive one.”
Admiral Apostolakis commended the Lexington Institute and AHI for their successful roles to strengthen U.S.-Greece relations.
“I give to both the Lexington Institute and the “American Hellenic Institute the credit for their successful efforts to build a special bond of partnership and friendship between the United States and Greece,” he said. “Mr. Larigakis has been very active with his initiatives and he has really helped promote our bilateral relations.”
The admiral also took the opportunity to share the concerns of Greece and its Armed Forces as well as his perspective on relations with the United States.
“Our close neighborhood is full of challenges that are interlinked. You are perfectly aware of the situation in Syria and Libya, as well as how much the East Med is affected by the terrorist threat and refugee flows,” he said. “My country is placed at the center of this volatile region and we remain very concerned about the security issues.”
Admiral Apostolakis added, “Greece, being a stable country and maintaining competent Armed Forces, plays a crucial role as stability and security provider.”
