2020-2021 Report | Cyprus & Hellenic Affairs Committee T o the Delegates/Alternates of the 99th Supreme Convention: The AHEPA Cyprus & Hellenic Affairs Committee expresses its profound appreciation to Supreme President George G. Horiates for his selfless leadership, confidence and support this past year along with deep thanks to the Supreme Lodge, Board of Trustees, and Executive Director Basil Mossaidis. I also would like to personally thank the members of the Committee and extend my personal gratitude to our consultant, Andrew Kaffes, without whose efforts, guidance, advice and direction, would have seriously jeopardized our ability to promote our causes to Congress and Federal Agencies. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic derailing inperson plans and activities during almost all of 2020 and much of 2021, AHEPA still made the 2020-2021 administrative year a productive one. LEGISLATION UPDATE & ENGAGEMENT WITH CONGRESS Legislation: A resolution to recognize the 200th anniversary of Greek Independence. • Resolution Number: H.Res.246 • Sponsors: U.S. Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Gus Bilirakis • Number of Co-Sponsors: 11 • Of Note: The resolution’s companion in the U.S. Senate, S.Res.34, passed the Senate by unanimous consent. Supreme President George Horiates was quoted in Rep. Maloney press release about H.Res.246’s introduction and participated in Congressional Hellenic Caucus press conference. Legislation: A resolution to express the sense of the Congress that the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece. • Resolution Number: H.Res.254 • Sponsors: U.S. Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Gus Bilirakis • Co-Sponsors: 10 Legislation: A bill to oppose violations of religious freedom in Turkey and safeguard the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. • • • Bill Number: H.R.3056 Sponsors: U.S. Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Gus Bilirakis Co-Sponsors: 10 Supreme President George Horiates was quoted in Rep. Maloney’s press release. Legislation: A resolution condemning Turkey for its illegal occupation of Cyprus and encouraging the Biden administration to make Cyprus a foreign policy priority. • • • • Resolution Number: H.Res.376 Sponsor: U.S. Representative Nicole Malliotakis Co-Sponsors: 6 Supreme President George Horiates was quoted in Rep. Malliotakis’ press release. Legislation: U.S.-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021 • Bill Number: S.2000 • Sponsors: U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Marco Rubio • Co-sponsors: 4 • Of Note: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced the legislation, as amended, favorably, on June 22, 2021. • Of Note: U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis and Ted Deutch announced the introduction of a companion bill in the House of Representatives, June 25, 2021. 2021 NDAA. In a July 17 letter to the House Rules Committee, Supreme President George G. Horiates conveyed AHEPA's support for two amendments offered to the FY2021 annual defense authorization bill (NDAA), H.R.6395. The amendments were: • Kinzinger/Spanberger - Requires a determination on the imposition of sanctions with respect to the Government of Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 air and missile defense system from the Russian Federation • Bilirakis/Pappas - Requires a feasibility study on increased rotational deployments to Greece and encourages enhanced U.S. diplomatic engagement w/ Greece-Cyprus-Israel & Greece-Cyprus-Egypt. Both amendments were adopted and passed by the House of Representatives as part of the larger annual defense bill on July 21. • Eventually, Congress imposed mandatory sanctions on Turkey for its violation of CAATSA with its passage of the FY2021 NDAA on Dec. 10, 2021, which AHEPA applauded. • The defense bill also strengthened U.S.-Greece defense cooperation with an authorization to appropriate $50.18 million for military construction at Souda Bay, Crete in addition to requiring a feasibility study of increased rotational deployments to Greece. FY2021 Appropriations/Hagia Sophia. An AHEPA-backed bipartisan amendment sponsored by U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) that is accompanied by language that encourages the U.S. Department of State to denounce Turkey for taking formal action to change the status of Hagia Sophia passed the U.S. House of Representatives, July 23, 2020. The language also encouraged the State Department to engage with Turkey for purpose of returning its status to a museum. The amendment was part of a larger FY2021 funding bill, H.R.7608, that eventually became