The use of Congress as a lever to boost Greek-American relations was at the heart of a speech delivered by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonis Diamataris at a Greek conference in Washington.
Describing the development of relations with Congress as a “vital goal” in the inaugural forum “Southeast Europe & Eastern Mediterranean: New Strategies, New Perspectives”, organised by the Delphi Economic Forum and the Greek daily newspaper “Kathimerini” on Monday and Tuesday, Diamataris recalled that there had been difficult times that had troubled the course of Greek-American relations in modern history, such as Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
As he explained, these difficulties highlighted the role of the Greek diaspora in stabilising bilateral relations during crises.
Diamataris said that these events had taught the Greek community was “important lessons about how the political system operates in general and about the role of Congress, in particular, in shaping foreign policy … Times have changed. Greece and America are as close as they can be and should be … But the issues remain and are as threatening as ever. Fortunately, the lessons of the past have not been forgotten,” Diamataris said.
On the current level of Greek-American relations, he noted that Greece has built strong channels of communication with Congress, while building alliances with other communities that serve as a multiplier of strength.
Diamataris stressed that the “work is not over” and that there is no room for complacency in such a sensitive geopolitical neighborhood. As he put it, “one can never relax when it comes to a part of the world like Greece, Cyprus and Israel … And we have to be aware that this is a continuous process that takes a long time to build, but only a short time to derail.”
Source: ANA-MPA