This year, 1/3 of the members of the House Europe Subcommittee, four of the seven Chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittees, 15 members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, nine of the top advocates for Hellenic and Orthodox issues in the Senate were among the 50 key U.S. policymakers, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that participated in the 25th Annual Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., May 20-22, an event that – unlike any other in the Greek-American community – engages large numbers of elected and Administration officials who actually formulate U.S. policy toward Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. Moreover, PSEKA and CEH, who sponsored this conference, brought together over 120 Greek-American leaders from across the country to take part in the meetings.
“On the closing day, conference participants visited and honored U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the State Department. Led by his Eminence Archbishop Demetrios the delegation included Philip Christopher, Andrew A. Athens, Andy Manatos, Peter Papanicolaou, Nikos Mouyiaris, George J. Tsunis, Mike Manatos, Tasos D. Zambas, Zenon Christodoulou and Michael Galanakis.
Also honored on that day were New York State Assemblyman Mike Gianaris and Greece’s outgoing Ambassador to the U.S.Alexandros Mallias who was the 2009 recipient of the Conalis-Kontou Award. Both, the husband, Lefteris, and daughter, Christianna, of Marialena Conalis-Kontou, after whom this award is named, flew in to attend this ceremony. At the conference banquet, participants honored George and Cathy Sakellaris as the 2009 recipients of the Livanos Award and Illinois State Treasurer and likely candidate for the U.S. Senate, Alexi Giannoulias.
Members of Congress who were honored at the conference included: In the U.S. Senate, Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL) with the Paraskevaides Award, leading advocate for Hellenic issues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and member of the Senate Leadership Bob Menendez (D-NJ); fellow advocate for Hellenic issues on the Foreign Relations Committee, Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and long-time advocate for Hellenic issues and member of the key Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Arlen Specter (D-PA). In the U.S. House of Representative, conference participants honored House Foreign Affairs Committee Members Ed Royce (R-CA) and Russ Carnahan (D-MO), who both just returned from separate Congressional Delegation visits to Cyprus.
On the opening day, conference participants recognized the following dignitaries who came from Cyprus to attend this important conference: the Mayor of occupied Famagusta, Cyprus, Alexis Galanos; the Mayor of occupied Lefkoniko, Cyprus, Michalis Pilikos; the Mayor of occupied Akanthou, Cyprus, Savvas Savvides; and Deputy Mayor of Morphou, Cyprus, Charalambos Charalambous. As well, Cyprus Government Director of Overseas Cypriots, Ambassador Charalambos Ioannides was honored that evening.
Other officials from Greece and Cyprus who participated in this conference included Cyprus Government Spokesman, Stefanos Stefanou; Chairman of the Hellenic Parliament’s Permanent Inter-Party Committee on Greeks Abroad, Nikolaos Tsiartsionis; three other members of the Hellenic Parliament Grigoris Niotis, Spyridon Georgiadis and Eva Kaili; as well as Canada’s Minister of Industry Tony Clement and Member of the Canadian Parliament James Karygiannis.
CEH leaders included in their conference the heads of several other major Greek-American organizations: AHEPA Supreme Vice President Nick Karacostas; AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis; SAE Coordinator of for the U.S. Ted Spyropoulos; and Pan-Macedonian Association President Nina Gatzoulis, among others.
