The proceedings of the Conference of the Federation of Cypriot-American Organizations, on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at Terrace on the Park in New York City, were successfully held, with the participation of representatives of all unions and members of the Federation from all over America. During the conference, views were exchanged on issues of concern to the Federation, the activities of the associations were reviewed and future goals were discussed.
Present at the conference were the Permanent Representatives of Cyprus and Greece to the United Nations, Ambassadors Andreas Hadjichrysanthou and Maria Theofili, the Consuls General of Greece and Cyprus in New York, Mr.Mr. Michalis Fyrillas and Mr. Konstantinos Koutras, the Consul of Greece Mr. Dimitrios Papageorgiou, the Archbishop of America Mr. Elpidophoros, Presidents and members of many Cypriot organizations, while the Cypriot government was represented by the Commissioner for the Presidency Mr. Fotis Fotiou.
During his intervention, the President of the Cyprus Federation of America Mr. Kyriakos Papastylianou, reiterated the need to register the Greek Cypriots in America, an effort initiated by the Cypriot associations, and asked for continued support from the Cypriot government. Philip Christopher referred to the change in the attitude of the US Government in recent years towards Greece and Cyprus in relation to Turkey and indicated the usefulness of increasing the number of Philhellenic members in Congress in the effort to promote our national issues.
In his address, the Consul General of Cyprus in New York, Mr. Fyrillas praised the work carried out by the Cypriot associations. He stressed that "despite the pandemic, you continue the activities, you continue to be committed to what you do and that is very important." Mr. Fyrillas also referred to the work of the Cypriot Consulate and its plans to upgrade and modernize its services.
Taking the floor, the Consul General of Greece in New York, Mr. Koutras said that the Cypriot Hellenism participates continuously and with great courage in all the great struggles of the nation. He recalled that from Evagoras Pallikaridis to Gregory Afxentios and hundreds of other heroes, Cyprus has proved that it is a small island with a great and indefatigable soul which produces very great people.
Referring to the Ukrainian crisis with Russia's illegal invasion, he said that "we did not discover today the illegality of the invasion. We have been denouncing it consistently and sincerely for years, and we have put forward respect for international law as the only solution."
He added that this is why condemning the Russian invasion is not just a matter of interest, it is a matter of principle. In this light, the international situation, despite the turmoil and human suffering, seems to have highlighted the vital role played by Cyprus and Greece in the defence of stability and peace in the south-eastern Mediterranean. It has highlighted the important role that Cyprus and Greece play together with other partners such as Egypt and Israel in terms of energy security for the whole of Europe.
Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Andreas Hadjichrysanthou, made an extensive report on the Cyprus problem and what is expected from the UN. He recalled the issuance of the two reports of the Secretary-General to the UN Security Council early next month on the renewal of the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Cyprus and the good offices mission of the UN Secretary-General.
He also said that the current phase is different from the previous ones because of the Ukrainian issue, and he believes there is an enhanced role for Turkey, as it appears to be the only country that can help the international community to solve the food problem. Due to the closure of the Black Sea straits, he said, efforts are being made by the international community to enable the export of grain from Ukraine, which is also necessary to prevent the crisis.
Regarding the resolution, which will be adopted around the end of July, he expressed the need to strengthen and upgrade its wording and stressed that the basis for a solution to the Cyprus problem is clear in accordance with previous resolutions. However, there have been attempts in the recent past to erode the relevant language of these resolutions. He stressed that it is also necessary to upgrade the language on Varosha and the missing persons. He called on all organisations to use their influence in Washington to achieve the adoption of a successful resolution.
Greece's Ambassador to the UN Ms. Maria Theofili pointed out that in the shadow of the Ukrainian issue and in a polarized international environment that is fomenting the terms of international relations and the food and energy crisis threatening the planet with huge consequences, Turkey is trying to exploit the geopolitical dynamics with its well-known tactics to project its revisionist designs both against Cyprus and Greece and the wider region.
"Regarding Cyprus, Turkey's insistence on sovereign equality and a two-state solution, the illegal and in violation of all relevant decisions, the creation of a fait accompli in Varosha, the violations within Cyprus' EEZ with illegal exploration and drilling, the defensive attitude towards the appointment of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General, the aggressive rhetoric, outline Turkey's policy and intentions on the Cyprus problem and its unwillingness to engage in a sincere and constructive dialogue to reach a viable and functional solution. But the Cyprus problem, and not only the Ukrainian one, is primarily a question of invasion and occupation. Greece does not and will never accept the consequences of the Turkish invasion and this is exactly the message that together with our friend the Ambassador of the Permanent Representation of Cyprus we are promoting and fighting every day at the UN", Mrs. Theofili stressed.
In his greeting, the Archbishop expressed his pleasure to address for the first time as Archbishop the conference of the Federation of Cypriot Organizations of America. "I greet you and admire you for your organization, for your successes, for your ethos, and for the high national spirit which you maintain as well as for your determination to continue to fight for the great national issue of Hellenism, which is the national issue of Cyprus, namely the illegal occupation of the island and the invasion by Turkey," the Archbishop noted.
He added that the Ukrainian issue is a repetition of history as was the tragic and unjust Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Finally, he expressed the Archdiocese's intention at the next conference to offer a scholarship for young people.
In his speech, Fotiou expressed his excitement to meet persons who have struggled all their lives to realize visions and goals on national issues, as well as to develop ever closer relations with our great host country, the United States of America, and the conference being held with a physical presence after two years due to the pandemic.
He conveyed the warm greetings of the President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Nicos Anastasiades and the deep gratitude of all Cypriots for the great support given to them by the Diaspora and also conveyed his wishes for personal health and happiness.
Referring to the Cyprus problem, he stressed that we must live up to our duty to achieve a solution that will finally free us from the Turkish occupation and reunite our country in conditions of freedom, security and respect for the rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots. "From the very first moment of the termination of the process in Crans Montana, President Anastasiades had underlined to the UN Secretary General - and he has repeated this many times since - his readiness to continue the dialogue from where it had been terminated as a result of Turkey's non-acceptance of the basic parameters set by the Secretary General himself," he said.
Referring to the humanitarian issue of the missing persons, Fotiou stressed that this is the most tragic aspect of the drama our country experienced in 1974. Their families continue, all these years, to carry on their shoulders the heavy cross of martyrdom for the disappearance of their loved ones. Unfortunately, he stressed that we are confronted with the unacceptable behaviour of Turkey, which not only does not cooperate to the extent that it should in order to determine the fate of all the missing persons, but, provocatively and unacceptably, continues to raise obstacles, essentially aiming to conceal its great guilt. It refuses to provide information from the Turkish army's archives about mass graves of our own people. It refuses to provide information on the other great war crime it committed, that of moving remains from the original burial sites.
Time, he added, is the greatest enemy and the Republic of Cyprus expects the international community, especially the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and other countries, even now 48 years later, to become more aware and to press Turkey to cooperate in resolving a thoroughly humanitarian issue.
He recalled that the Republic of Cyprus successfully continues its bilateral and trilateral cooperation with other countries, especially with our neighbours on diaspora issues. He called on the expatriates to further strengthen these partnerships by taking initiatives for actions and events with countries we cooperate with, such as Israel, Egypt and Armenia.
He underlined how important and valuable is the cooperation we have with the Greek Government, since the expatriate Hellenism is one, and together Cypriot and Greek organizations promote actions to exploit the potential of Hellenism in order to promote wider interests.
He made a strong reference to the effort made to encourage the participation of the expatriate youth who are the future of our diaspora, arguing that by investing in the new generation, we are investing in the future of our diaspora.
He referred to the plans of the Cypriot government to bring the new generation of expatriates closer to their home country, Cyprus, through hospitality programmes, exchange visits, internships and through our partnerships with various Universities in Cyprus.
He pointed out that we will continue to support the various hospitality programmes for young people aged 12-30 years old, especially the hospitality programmes of the New York-based Liberia Pancyprios football team and the hospitality of children aged 12-17 years old. "Unfortunately these programs have been postponed for the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, but this summer we will have the pleasure of hosting 10 children from the USA aged 13-17 years old. At this point I would like to congratulate from the bottom of my heart the new generation of our expatriates, NEPOMAK USA, the Young Professionals for the initiatives and actions they are taking to achieve this goal."
Mr. Fotiou also had a personal meeting with the Archbishop of America, members of the Cyprus-American Chamber of Commerce and NEPOMAK.
In addition, the traditional scholarships of the Federation of Cypriot-American Organizations were awarded and the processes for the election of the new Board of Directors were carried out.
In the evening, the Commissioner of the Presidency, Mr. In the evening, Commissioner Fotis Fotiou attended the Annual Greek Independence Dinner organized by the Federation of Greek Associations of Greater New York.
(BG/EXP)
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