Our History
AHI Founded
1974
United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Eugene Rossides founded the American Hellenic Institute on August 1, 1974, to shape the United State’s response to the invasion of the Republic of Cyprus by Türkiye. Rossides advocated that Türkiye’s violated of the rule of law harmed U.S. interests and began a campaign to push policy through Congress to address this.
AHI Pushes through arms embargo & aid package
1975
AHI led an initiative to place an embargo on U.S. weapon sales to Türkiye after they illegally invaded and occupied the Republic of Cyprus. AHI achieved this crucially important policy by successfully urging Congress to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
AHI continued its work to promote US intervention in the illegal invasion and occupation of the Republic of Cyprus by championing a movement in Congress to provide $25 million in annual humanitarian aid.
AHI Corresponds on Cyprus Issue with Biden
1989
In a statement written to the American Hellenic Institute in 1989, future President Joe Biden, then U.S. Senator, wrote:
“We cannot lose sight of the fact that the rights of Greek Cypriots have been trampled upon, and we must ensure that their claims to ancestral land and property seized during the 1974 invasion are not compromised. Finally, we must send a signal to Turkey that until it has removed every last soldier from Cyprus, it will never be recognized as a full member of the international community.”
1993
AHI First to Sponsor Congressional Delegation to Greece
In 1993, the American Hellenic Institute became the first organization to sponsor a Congressional Delegation to Greece. This historical milestone helped improve US-Greece relations and was very well received by the Greek American community.
1994
AHI HQ moves to Hellenic House
Thanks to the generosity of Mr. George Spyropoulos of Caracas, the Hellenic House, located at 1220 16th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. just a few blocks away from the White House, became the new permanent headquarters of AHI and its affiliates on October 1, 1994. Mr. Spyropoulos contributed $227,000, or thirty percent of the cost of the building. In 2004, the remainder of Hellenic House’s mortgage was paid off in full, signifying a new chapter for AHI characterized by new opportunities for growth and expansion of programs in the future.
2009
AHIF begins College Student Foreign Policy Trip
The American Hellenic Institute Foundation College Student Foreign Policy Study Trip to Greece and Cyprus is aimed to help Greek and Cypriot American college students better understand the core foreign policy issues important to the Greek American community.
Prior to their departure, students will meet in our nation’s capital, Washington, to learn more about these policies by attending meetings and briefings. While in Greece and Cyprus, the students will continue to attend briefings and meets with officials at the American embassies, various ministries, the Hellenic Armed Forces, the National Guard of Cyprus, members of the Hellenic Parliament and Republic of Cyprus House of Representatives, religious leaders, think-tanks, and members of academia and the private sector.
2024
AHI Celebrates 50th Anniversary
2024 marks 50 years of our work to promote the interests of the United States in Greece, Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Southeast Europe, along with advocating issues important to the Greek American community.
With our newsletters, conferences, seminars, publications, and social media, we had served as a resource to policy makers, community leaders, and our network of supporters for five decades, providing them with the information necessary for implementing and executing effective foreign policy.