American Hellenic Institute

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AHI Hosts Farewell Luncheon for the Ambassador of Cyprus to the U.S. Euripides L. Evriviades
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: GEORGIA ECONOMOU
November 6, 2006—No. 79 (202) 785-8430

AHI Hosts Farewell Luncheon for the Ambassador of Cyprus to the U.S. Euripides L. Evriviades

WASHINGTON, DC—On Tuesday, October 31, 2006, over sixty persons attended a farewell luncheon at the Capital Hilton hotel, hosted by the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) for the Ambassador of Cyprus to the United States, Euripides L. Evriviades.

Guests attending represented the diplomatic community of Washington, the State Department, the business community, as well as many participants from the Greek American and Cypriot American communities of the Washington Metropolitan area.

At the luncheon, the AHI presented Ambassador Evriviades with the “AHI Hellenic Heritage Public Service Award” in appreciation for being a “Distinguished public servant and diplomat who through his tireless efforts as Ambassador of Cyprus to the United States has worked vigorously to foster a stronger friendship and understanding between the people of Cyprus and the people of America.”

Ambassador Evriviades having concluded three years in Washington is going back to Cyprus to assume his new duties as the Director of the Division of European Union Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the luncheon, Ambassador Evriviades thanked AHI for its work, and stated:

“Whatever was achieved during my tenure could not have been done without the help of AHI…it is American, it is Hellenic, it is an Institute. And I feel honored and enriched to have here with us today the founder of the AHI Gene Rossides who has traveled this own journey since the establishment of AHI, ten days after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. It is sad, in a way that the community had to be galvanized after the invasion. Since its establishment, AHI has been a leader in the struggle for the reunification of Cyprus based on the American ideals and principles of the rule of law, respect for human rights and simple justice. Nobody exemplifies this better than Gene Rossides, who thought of things strategically, i.e. have a professional and permanent presence of our community in Washington D.C. by owning its own building and naming it Hellenic House, by organizing noon forums, by publishing books, by establishing a think tank and by holding conferences. It was Gene Rossides who initiated and spearheaded the rule of law embargo issue against Turkey in 1974 for using American arms illegally for the invasion of Cyprus.

Gene, I want to pay tribute to you, I want to pay tribute to Aphrodite (Mrs. Rossides), I want to thank you and your able team, Nick Larigakis, Jim Marketos, Nick Karambelas and many, many others of AHI. I wholeheartedly express my appreciation to you all for being the goodwill ambassadors of Cyprus in the U.S. because you generously give, pro bono, your time and your money for the just cause of Cyprus.”

In presenting the Ambassador with the award, AHI president, Gene Rossides said: “Euripides displayed a tremendous amount of energy and passion in representing his country’s interests in Washington and throughout the United States during very difficult years following the democratic rejection of the flawed Annan plan. The 89 speeches that he gave throughout the country are a testament to his boundless energy and resolve in trying to make American policymakers aware of the injustices committed against the people of Cyprus. He was extremely instrumental in reenergizing the community and this is reflected in the fact that the Hellenic Caucus in the House of Representatives has 142 members, the highest ever. He worked hard to make Washington policymakers understand that the Cyprus issue is one that encompasses an illegal invasion, the violation of the rule of law and international law, and the violation of human rights. He pursued his agenda with great professionalism and dignity. We wish him well in his new position.” concluded Mr. Rossides.

Ambassador Evriviades presented his credentials as the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States to President George W. Bush on 4 December 2003. 

Until his appointment to the United States, Mr. Evriviades served as the Ambassador of Cyprus to the Netherlands (August 2000 to October 2003). Prior to his posting in The Hague, he served as the Ambassador to Israel (November 1997 to July 2000). Earlier in his career, Mr. Evriviades held positions at Cypriot embassies in Tripoli, Libya; Moscow, USSR/Russia; and Bonn, Germany.

Ambassador Evriviades started his diplomatic career in 1976, serving initially at the Cyprus Consulate General in New York as Vice-Consul (1976-78) and later as Consul (1978-1982). He was also accredited as First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the United Nations (1980-1982). From 1976 through 1980, he served as a member of the Cyprus Delegation to the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (4th-10th sessions). He has published a number of articles on the subject as well as on the Cyprus question.

Ambassador Evriviades holds a master's degree in Public Administration (MPA—policy area of concentration: International Affairs and Security) from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1984), which he attended as a Fulbright Fellow. He graduated (cum laude, 1976) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire. He was born in Larnaca, Cyprus, on 6 August 1954. He is married to Anastasia Iacovidou-Evriviades, an attorney-at-law. He has an avid interest in the arts, especially music, as well as in antiquities and cartography.

Ambassador Evriviades was honored by the King Legacy Award for International Service, bestowed on him (15 January 2006) by the Committee on the International Salute To The Life And Legacy Of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., A Man For All Nations. The previous year (21 May 2005) Mr. Evriviades received a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, from his alma mater, the University of New Hampshire. On 13 October 2003, he was honored as the "Ambassador of the Year" by the Stichting Vrienden van Saur ("Friends of Saur") Foundation, a Dutch social and philanthropic society. Other decorations include the Great Commander of the Order of Orthodox Knights of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, (Jerusalem, February 2000), and the Order of Merit (First Class) of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bonn, March 1989).

Please find photographs from this event at the following link: https://ahiworld.org/PR_photos/110606/

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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.