AHI Applauds Meeting Between U.S. President Biden & Republic of Cyprus President Christodoulides
No. 95
WASHINGTON - On October 30, 2024, the president of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, met with the president of the United States, Joe Biden, at the White House. The American Hellenic Institute applauds this important milestone in the bilateral relationship between the United States and the Republic of Cyprus.
According to a statement released by the White House, the meeting consisted of “in-depth discussion on a range of foreign policy issues of mutual interest including energy diversification, regional security, and support to Ukraine.” During the meeting, President Christodoulides highlighted that “at the regional level, Cyprus is a predictable and reliable partner of the United States in a region of great geopolitical importance.”
On the subject of the occupation of the Republic of Cyprus, President Biden expressed his commitment to supporting “a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality for all Cypriots consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolutions.”
In 1989, while serving as a Senator, Biden wrote to the American Hellenic Institute regarding the occupation of the Republic of Cyprus, stating that “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.”
During the meeting with President Christodoulides, Biden reflected on Turkey’s invasion in 1974, stating that “I remember it well. It was my first year as a U.S. senator.”
President Biden ended the meeting by telling President Christodoulides he looks forward to future discussions and called him “a good friend.”
The meeting between the two presidents followed the launch of the U.S.-Republic of Cyprus Strategic Dialogue, a historic development that marked a new era of bilateral cooperation and demonstrated the growing strength of the relationship between the two countries.
American Hellenic Institute President Nick Larigakis stated “This meeting between the president of the United States and the president of the Republic of Cyprus at the White House shows just how rapidly U.S.-Republic of Cyprus relations are strengthening. The Republic of Cyprus has demonstrated its value to promoting the interests of the U.S. in the region and will continue to be a critically important partner in the future. However, as I have stated before, the full potential of the partnership cannot be achieved until the 50 year long occupation of the Republic of Cyprus comes to an end and the country is reunified. We hope this meeting leads to more action from the United States to address this issue going forward, which, once solved, will allow U.S. interests in the region to be strengthened to an even greater extent.”
The American Hellenic Institute is an independent non-profit U.S. public policy center and think tank that works to strengthen U.S. relations with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, and promote issues important to the Greek American community.
For additional information, please contact us at (202) 785-8430 or pr@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our website at http://www.ahiworld.org.
