AHI to President Obama: U.S. Should Engage in a “Special Relationship” with GreeceWASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) released a letter it sent today to President Barack Obama ahead of the president’s August 8, 2013 meeting with Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic Antonis Samaras. The letter, authored by AHI President Nick Larigakis, recommends the United States to engage in a “special relationship” with Greece and touts Greece’s military contributions to NATO and U.S. missions as well as Greece’s role as a stabilizing factor in the region despite enduring an economic crisis. “The United States should have a ‘special relationship’ with Greece, recognizing its strategic location in southeastern Europe where the U.S. has important political, economic and military interests,” AHI President Nick Larigakis wrote, citing the recent Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) agreement and the discovery of hydrocarbon reserves in the eastern Mediterranean reinforce this position. “Greece is an immensely valuable, proven, and reliable strategic ally for the United States especially because of key naval and air bases at Souda Bay, Crete. Simply put, Greece is a pivotal ally for the advancement of U.S. interests.” The letter also presents four potential United States government programs or initiatives that could assist Greece should the Greek government choose to engage in them in areas of tax and investment treaties, research and development agreement, and Export-Import bank financing. .
The American Hellenic Institute is a non-profit Greek American think tank and public policy center that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community. ### 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 Web site at https://www.ahiworld.org. |
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AHI to President Obama: U.S. Should Engage in a “Special Relationship” with Greece
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