AHI Endorses East Med Gateway Act; Praises Leadership of Rep. Schneider & Hellenic Caucus, Greek American Community Efforts
U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Congressional Hellenic-Israeli Alliance (CHIA).
No. 39
WASHINGTON - The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) officially endorses H.R.3307, ‘The East Med Gateway Act,’ which was introduced by Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL) and co-led by the Co-Chairs and Vice Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), and Dina Titus (D-NV). AHI commends the leadership of Rep. Schneider and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) for their advocacy on this initiative, which will advance the economic and energy interests of the United States in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The East Med Gateway Act focuses on promoting the development of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which would establish a new level of economic integration between Asia and Europe, including Greece and Israel, while supporting the foreign policy goals of the United States. In 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the 2023 G20 New Delhi summit by the United States, India, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union to establish the formal process of cooperation on this initiative. Once completed, the project will act as a major counter to China’s Belt & Road Initiative, which will be a critical step to countering America’s adversary.
In the bill, Greece, the Republic of Cyprus, and Israel are highlighted as key U.S. partners for the development of IMEC. Specifically, the bill identifies projects involving these countries that can contribute to the corridor, including the Great Sea Interconnector; the Gregy Interconnection Project; the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector; LNG terminals in the Eastern Mediterranean. The bill states that all of these projects “play a key role in European energy security and provide critical infrastructure that can serve as the backbone for linking India, the Gulf, and Europe through the Eastern Mediterranean.” Additionally, the bill promotes greater U.S. participation in the East Mediterranean Gas Forum and encourages the U.S. to “expand and strengthen” the Abraham Accords.
The bill also highlights the importance of “enhanced defense and security cooperation,” along with “strengthening bilateral and multilateral ties.” It specifically addresses the importance of the Cyprus Centre for Land, Open Seas and Port Security (CYCLOPS) and the possibility of it being used as a “model for broad-based multilateral cooperation.”
The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) is a non-profit policy center and think tank founded in 1974 that promotes the interests of the United States in foreign affairs involving Greece, the Republic of Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Southern Europe.
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