American Hellenic Institute

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New U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus Visits AHI
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: GEORGIA ECONOMOU
December 9, 2005—No. 101`
(202) 785-8430

New U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus Visits AHI

Washington, DC—On December 6, 2005, the new U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, Ronald L. Schlicher visited AHI for a one and a half-hour meeting with the leadership and staff. The AHI attendees had the opportunity to voice their perspectives on items of mutual interest regarding U.S. relations with Cyprus, with an emphasis on the need for a solution to the Cyprus issue including the State Department’s view on this topic. Ambassador Schlicher spoke of the important part Cyprus can play in the region as a European Union member, including its role in anti-terrorism and security interests.

In addition, Ambassador Schlicher discussed how important it was that Cyprus was the first to sign onto the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) Ship-boarding Agreement initiative by President Bush. This was an “agreement between the Government of the Republic of Cyprus and the Government of the United States of America concerning cooperation to suppress the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, their Delivery Systems, and Related Materials by Sea.” The PSI Ship-boarding Agreement was signed by Foreign Minister George Iacovou and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on July 25, 2005 at the State Department.

The Ambassador was also interested to know about the other issues that the AHI deals with. Thus, a short discussion also ensued on the issues of the Aegean Sea Boundary, the Macedonia name, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Halki Patriarchal School of Theology.

The Ambassador stated that he wishes to stay in close contact with AHI and the Greek American community regarding Cyprus and other relevant issues.

The attendees included: former Ambassador Patrick Theros who helped to arrange the meeting, AHI Chairman James Marketos, AHI Advisory Committee members Nick Karambelas and Peter C. Pappas, AHI members Emmanuel Rouvelas and Nick Theros, AHI President Gene Rossides, AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis, and staff.

“Ambassador Schlicher displayed a genuine open mind regarding the Cyprus issue. His comments regarding Cyprus’s role in the region and his willingness to continue to become more knowledgeable on this matter will serve him well as he embarks on his new post,” said AHI President Gene Rossides.

Prior to his current position, Ambassador Ronald L. Schlicher served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary and Coordinator for Iraq in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. He is a Minister-Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service. He entered the Foreign Service in January 1982. He was Vice-Consul in Dhahran from September 1982 to March 1984. From 1984-1986, he served as Consul in Damascus, Syria. He then returned to the Department as Staff Assistant in NEA to Assistant Secretary Richard Murphy. From 1987-1989, he served as Deputy Principal Officer in Alexandria, Egypt. He then transferred to the Embassy in Cairo, where he served as First Secretary from 1989-1991, specializing in internal Egyptian politics and Islamic movements. In 1991-1992, he was Chief Civilian Observer in the MFO, the organization that monitors the security provisions of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. Returning to the Department, he served from 1992-1994 as a Deputy Director for Regional Affairs in the Office of the Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism (S/CT). From 1994-1997, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Beirut, Lebanon. From 1997-2000, he was the Director of the Office of Egyptian and North African Affairs in NEA. From 2000-2002, he served as Chief of Mission and Consul-General in Jerusalem. During the 2003 war with Iraq, he was Director of the Iraq Task Force. He then served for six months in Iraq with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), first as Regional Coordinator for the North and then as Director of the Office of Provincial Outreach. He is fluent in Arabic (several dialects) and French and is studying Greek.

Over his career, Ambassador Schlicher has received the Distinguished Honor Award, three Superior Honor Awards, two Meritorious Honor Awards, a National Humint Collector Award, and, most recently, the Christian A. Herter Award. He has also been awarded Senior and Presidential Performance Pay on several occasions.

Group photo (l-r) Nick Karambelas, Gene Rossides, Ambassador Patrick Theros, Nick Larigakis, Ambassador Ronald Schlicher, James Marketos, Peter C. Pappas and Emmanuel Rouvelas.


Ambassador Ronald Schlicher’s visit to the AHI.

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For additional information, please contact Georgia Economou at (202) 785-8430 or georgia@ahiworld.org. For general information regarding the activities of AHI, please view our Web site at https://www.ahiworld.org.