American Hellenic Institute

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AHI Welcomes Bipartisan Policy Center’s Report on Turkey as Undependable Ally
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Georgea Polizos
May 6, 2015—No. 27 (202) 785-8430

AHI Welcomes Bipartisan Policy Center’s Report on Turkey as Undependable Ally

However Report Lacks Focus on Cyprus Issue

WASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) welcomes a report published April 2015 by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Turkey Task Force titled, “Turkey: An Increasingly Undependable Ally.” The BPC’s Turkey Task Force is co-chaired by Ambassador Morton Abramowitz, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey; and Ambassador Eric Edelman, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

“We welcome the report published by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Turkey Task Force,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “It draws much-needed added attention and facts to a theme that we have been communicating in Washington via our policy statements and that is Turkey’s unreliability as an ally of the United States. However, we are disappointed the report lacks focus on core issues of the Greek American community, especially with regard to Turkey’s illegal invasion and subsequent forty-year occupation of the Republic of Cyprus.”

Larigakis added the report makes several recommendations on actions the United States could take with regard to communicating with Turkey on these concerns. One of the report’s recommendations is to look to other nations to play important roles as regional partners. Examples of nations cited are: Georgia, Jordan, and Azerbaijan.

“Unfortunately, the Task Force failed to recognize Greece or Cyprus as nations that can play important regional roles,” Larigakis said. “Greece is a loyal and dependable NATO ally and the relationship between the United States and Cyprus received a significant boost following Vice President Biden’s historic visit there a year ago.”

According to the report’s executive summary, since the BPC Turkey Task Force’s original report in 2013, “the rift between Washington and Ankara has only widened.” This rift is not only widening because of Turkey’s wayward foreign policy that runs opposite to the United States, but the rift is also becoming larger due to Turkey’s worrisome domestic policies that include the “dismantling of Turkey’s democratic institutions.”

The American Hellenic Institute is a non-profit Greek American public policy center and think tank that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community.

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For additional information, please contact Georgea Polizos at (202) 785-8430 or at pr@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our website at https://www.ahiworld.org and follow us on Twitter @TheAHIinDC.