From left to right, Dino Andrianos, Aris Anagnos, Rep. Howard Berman, AHC President Mike Galanakis, AHC ED Alexander Mizan

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LOS ANGELES - 10/20/2010

On October 19, 2010 a delegation of Board Members of the AHC met with US Congressman and Chairmanof the House Foreign Affairs Committee Howard Berman (D-CA) at his district office in Van Nuys.

In the hour-long meeting, Mr. Berman and members of the AHC discussed the recent developments in the eastern Mediterranean region and how they are viewed from Washington D.C. During the meeting, Rep. Berman showed concern about Turkey's reluctance to be a reliable US ally in the region, citing examples such as the recent flotilla incident with Israel and Turkey's UN Security Council veto to impose further sanctions on Iran for continuing with its nuclear program.

On the issue of Cyprus, Rep. Berman mentioned that he is hopeful that a summit meeting between the American & Cypriot Presidents will take place since one has not taken place in decades. Aris Anagnos, founding member of the AHC, suggested to Rep. Berman that now might be the time for the US to ask Turkey to allow the former Greek-Cypriot residents of Famagusta to return to their homes.

Famagusta has been a ghost town since the invasion of 1974. Several UN Security Council resolutions have explicitly placed it off-limits to Turkish settlers, yet the occupying Turkish forces do not allow its rightful residents to return to their homes.

Mr. Anagnos stressed that due to its special status the city of Famagusta is an ideal place to begin a rapprochement between the Greek-Cypriot and the Turkish-Cypriot community since no displacement of existing population needs to take place. It would be an ideal test case displaying the ability for the Greek & Turkish communities to live together in peace and harmony.

Other issues discussed were the recent referendum in Turkey and how it affects
US-Turkish-EU relations as well as developments in the regional balance of power. Rep. Berman was cautiously optimistic about the recent broadening of civil liberties in Turkey as long as fringe Islamic elements do not exploit such constitutional amendments with the goal of corroding secularism in the society.

We thanked Congressman Berman for his continued support of our causes and wished him good luck in the upcoming election.

Copyright - AHC 2010
For more information please contact: American Hellenic Council Director: 323-651-3507

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