AJC Honored by Cyprus Federation of America

NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At a gala dinner in New York attended by hundreds of leaders of the Hellenic-American community and top Cypriot and Greek officials, AJC was honored by the Cyprus Federation of America.

The presentation was made by Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus, who said: "This year's honoree is AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, which has been active for more than a century promoting Jewish interests, as well as furthering a global agenda of peace, democracy, interreligious dialogue and interfaith understanding, and human rights. Cypriot-Hellenic community leaders have worked closely with AJC to advance these noble causes, and also towards the enhancement and promotion of Cypriot-Hellenic-Jewish links and friendship. These relations, both in the American context, as well as in the context of the Israel-Cyprus-Greece relationship, have seen an unprecedented strengthening in the last decade, a development which I salute and support."

At the AJC Global Forum in Washington in May, Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides had stated: "Our relationship with AJC is one of genuine friendship, appreciation, mutual respect and common interests. The role of AJC in identifying and promoting the relationship with Cyprus, and in helping advance our ties with Israel and the United States, cannot be emphasized enough."

Archbishop Demetrios of America, who also attended the gala dinner, declared: "I congratulate AJC for its leadership in promoting the growing political, economic, and security cooperation between Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the United States, and for bringing to fruition the benefits this alliance creates for the advancement of human rights and the promotion of democracy."

Other distinguished individuals participating in the dinner included the Greek deputy foreign minister; the Cypriot ambassadors to the United States and UN; the Cypriot and Greek consuls-general in New York; elected state officials from New York, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire; and leaders of many Hellenic-American organizations.

Accepting the award on behalf of AJC were Kim Pimley, member of AJC's Executive Council, who traveled to Athens and Nicosia with an AJC delegation in March, and David Harris, AJC's executive director, who has visited the region frequently.

"We are proud to receive this prestigious award," said Harris. "Thirty years ago, a group of visionary Hellenic-American and AJC leaders, including Andy Athens, Andy Manatos, Phil Christopher, Peter Papanicolaou, Senator Paul Sarbanes, Maynard Wishner, David Roth, and others, began an effort to deepen Greek-Israeli and Cypriot-Israeli relations, which were still in their infancy. By the 1990s, progress was tangible. Moreover, the friendship blossomed between these communities in the U.S., leading to growing domestic cooperation."

"In the last decade," Harris continued, "our goal has been to build a triangular partnership among Cyprus, Greece, and Israel, with the active support of the U.S. This vision has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. Anchors of democracy in the eastern Mediterranean have become allies in the cultural, economic, energy, strategic, tourism, and other spheres. But one issue remains to be resolved, namely, the 40-year occupation of one-third of Cyprus by Turkish forces, preventing the full realization of the potential of the island and, indeed, the region."

"We hope that wisdom, justice, and common sense will soon prevail," Harris concluded, "and Cyprus will be restored as a single nation to play its full part in this vitally important area of the world. It should not be beyond anyone's imagination to think that one day, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and others could follow the example of the six founders of the European Coal and Steel Community, and become an eastern Mediterranean hub of economic cooperation, peace, and prosperity."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee