Annual Report 2017
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ANNUAL REPORT 2017 American Hellenic Institute American Hellenic Institute Foundation AMERICAN HELLENIC INSTITUTE TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 PUBLIC POLICY: AN OVERVIEW ....................................................................... 2 LEGISLATIVE & POLICY INITIATIVES ............................................................... 4 AWARDS DINNER ....................................................................................................10 LEADERSHIP VISITS ABROAD ..........................................................................12 BRIEFINGS, CONFERENCES & FORUMS ....................................................15 ATHENS AWARDS DINNER ................................................................................18 GENERAL NEWS .......................................................................................................19 AHI FOUNDATION HIGHLIGHTS & INITIATIVES ...................................20 AHIF COLLEGE STUDENT FOREIGN POLICY TRIP TO GREECE & CYPRUS ..............................................................................22 MEDIA RELATIONS .................................................................................................24 HELLENIC HOUSE VISITORS ..............................................................................24 FUTURE OF HELLENISM IN AMERICA CONFERENCE ......................25 AHI PRESIDENT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS WITH AHI ............................26 LEADERSHIP, AWARDS & STAFF NEWS ......................................................28 AMERICAN HELLENIC INSTITUTE 1220 16TH STREET, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20036 www.AHIWORLD.ORG • 301-670-9728 • [email protected] 2017 ANNUAL REPORT Introduction Library in honor of E. John and Cleo Rumpakis. hand, Turkey’s troublesome foreign policy direction, This unique moment in AHI history was made which includes unprecedented heightened Turkish Dear Members and Friends: especially memorable because we were fortunate aggression in the Aegean, is ongoing and must be As the American Hellenic Institute marks its 43rd to have His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, called out. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s year as the only Greek American think-tank and Geron of America, officiate the ceremony at public questioning of the integrity of the Treaty public policy center, it affords me great pleasure Hellenic House. We are deeply grateful to E. John of Lausanne is especially troublesome. And we to present the Institute’s 2017 Annual Report. All and Cleo Rumpakis and for Archbishop Demetrios’ witnessed Turkish thuggery firsthand here in our of AHI’s policy-based programs and initiatives that participation. Further, I commend AHI Foundation nation’s capital when President Erdogan’s security advance the best interests of the United States Graduate Fellow Gregory Graves, who performed detail brutally attacked peaceful U.S. protestors. on issues of importance to Greek Americans are the tedious task to properly catalog, restore and As Cyprus settlement talks have halted, Turkey encapsulated in this report. present roughly 2,500 books, 1,600 journals and still maintains more than 40,000 illegal troops on unclassified government publications, and 400 the island and insists on keeping its guarantor In 2017, AHI issued 53 press releases detailing historical documents and special collections in status in a post-settlement unified Cyprus, which our numerous policy activities and events. These the Institute’s possession, as part of the library’s is unacceptable. There has been no progress with activities included: the 42nd Annual Hellenic restoration. In addition to Graves’s work to respect to religious freedom in Turkey, including Heritage Achievement and National Public Service establish the library collection, he has produced the plight of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, despite Awards Dinner; the 16th annual “Future of Hellenism 31 binders of previously declassified government calls from entities such as the U.S. Commission on in America” conference; the 13th Annual Awards documents regarding the illegal invasion of Cyprus International Religious Freedom to address it. The Dinner in Athens; our annual “Congressional Salute in 1974 by Turkey, as part of his doctoral thesis, FYROM name-recognition issue promises to come to Greek Independence Day” on Capitol Hill; our which he presented at a Noon Forum titled, “The to a head in 2018. All of these issues require our fourth-annual “Greek Heritage Night” with the Cyprus Crisis: A Declassified Dossier” in September. collective attention and action. Philadelphia Phillies that provides tremendous public exposure for Greece and our Greek heritage; Secondly, I am especially proud because for the first Together, as advocates for the rule of law, we must our annual trips to Greece and Cyprus, including time, AHI made an official visit to Australia in late continue to educate the Trump Administration and our 9th Annual Study Abroad Program; and our March/early April. The four-city visit—to Canberra, Congress on our issues. With nearly 50 announced numerous public policy conferences and forums. Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney—provided an retirements and resignations by members of opportunity to introduce AHI, and its work, to the Congress, it remains a significant challenge to keep At AHI, the majority of our efforts focus on Greek-Australian community and to discuss the members informed and engaged. We must remind advancing U.S. relations with Greece and Cyprus policy issues with Australian officials and Diaspora legislators and policymakers that despite difficult as in the best interests of the U.S., and to support organizations. I sincerely thank the dynamic economic conditions, Greece remains a loyal the Greek American community. In this regard, members of the Greek Australian community for ally and contributes greatly to U.S. security and we engaged policymakers in the administration their generous hospitality and for organizing an economic interests in the eastern Mediterranean. and Congress through policy letters, testimony, impactful itinerary of meetings and events in each And the same holds for the Republic of Cyprus, and face-to-face meetings with high-ranking of the four cities I visited. which must be viewed as an important, valuable administration officials and a significant number of Finally, with great thanks to the kindness and player and partner in the region for the United members of Congress and their staffs. To keep our States, acting as a bridge-builder and geostrategic audience informed, we showcased commentaries, generosity of the AHI Board of Directors, a special professional milestone for me was celebrated in partner; and not just a country viewed through the letters, and op-ed pieces that praised Greece’s th lens of the Cyprus problem. In addition, we must security cooperation amid crises and were critical October—my 30 work anniversary at AHI. It was an emotional evening that I will never forget. work with the Trump Administration to sustain a of Turkey’s foreign policy positions in addition to high-level of engagement with Greece and Cyprus publishing our Capital Reports and hosting foreign We accomplished all these initiatives thanks to the amid an increasingly cramped foreign policy policy forums. AHI also remain an important dedication of AHI’s Board of Directors and Policy agenda. Further, we must never forget that April resource for media outlets seeking the Greek Fellows, with the assistance from our staff, and 24, 2018 marks the 103rd anniversary of Armenian American perspective on U.S. policy in the eastern support from our members. Genocide. Finally, AHI looks to build upon the Mediterranean, placing letters to the editor and momentum generated by uplifting programs such appearing in media interviews. Moreover, the AHI 2018: Keeping our Policy Issues at as our study abroad program for college students Foundation published the eighth volume of its and our “Greek Heritage Night” at the ballpark while Online Policy Journal that provides expert policy the Forefront exploring additional ways to encourage growth in analysis and commentary. AHI looks to continue the momentum generated commerce, trade, and investment between the In addition, AHI hosted policy forums and from programs offered in recent years. We are United States and Greece and Cyprus. conferences, in the U.S. and abroad. For example, always looking for innovative ways to improve As I close the door on my 30th year at AHI, I am AHI hosted three intimate Washington, D.C.-based service to our membership base, to better address deeply grateful and appreciative of the members, events for high-level Greek military officials with our core agenda, and to cultivate opportunities board officers and staff for their dedication. high-profile U.S. government officials and defense to positively influence the Greek American Everyone worked together to make 2017 another sector executives intended to raise awareness of community and U.S. relations with Greece and productive year. Alongside our own activities in Greece’s strategic importance and to advance U.S.- Cyprus. One bright spot has already occurred in Washington, and abroad, AHI’s strength relies on Greece defense cooperation. Further, AHI hosted 2018 as I am pleased to report AHI participated the many significant contributions and generous a panel presentation in Athens on the topic of in a third International Leadership Mission to support of our