AHI Requests Woodrow Wilson Center to Rescind Public Service Award to Turkish Foreign Minister

WASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) sent a letter on May 21, 2010, to Mr. Lee H. Hamilton, president and director, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, requesting the center to rescind its decision to present Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu with the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Public Service Award in June.

“We strongly contend that Minister Davutoglu is undeserving of the honor based upon the spirit of the award and the ideals President Woodrow Wilson championed,” wrote AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis.

In the letter, AHI provides a series of facts since the time Foreign Minister Davutoglu took office on May 1, 2009, that demonstrates he is unworthy of the award.

“Under Minister Davutoglu’s foreign policy oversight, leadership, and direction, Turkey continues to illegally occupy another sovereign nation in the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member, continues to violate international law in the Aegean Sea, suppress religious freedom and minority rights, has taken policy positions regarding Iran, Sudan, and Israel in opposition to the U.S., and fails to accept responsibility for the genocide of Armenians, Greek and Assyrian Christians in the 20th century,” wrote Larigakis.

“A steadfast belief in public discourse, scholarship, and the extension of the benefits of knowledge in the United States and around the world” is among the criteria used by the Woodrow Wilson Center for presenting the award.

The American Hellenic Institute Foundation (AHIF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt Greek American think-tank, educational and research organization. The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) is a 501 (c) (6) non-profit, tax-exempt organization 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 C. Franciscos Economides 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.