AHI Keeps Religious Freedom Concerns in Focus with Department of State’s Senior Envoy for International Religious Freedom
(L-R) AHI President Nick Larigakis, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain, Policy Consultant Elias Gerasoulis.
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WASHINGTON, DC - AHI President Nick Larigakis met with U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain, and Policy Officer Sonia Fernandes, Office of International Religious Freedom, to elevate the community’s concerns about Turkey’s record on religious freedom. The meeting took place at the U.S. Department of State, April 3, 2024.
AHI’s proactive letter to the State Department that objected to Turkey’s efforts to turn the Chora Church into a mosque prompted Ambassador Hussain’s invitation to meet. During the meeting, President Larigakis highlighted Turkey’s persecution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, desecration of Greek cultural heritage in Turkey and occupied Cyprus, as well as a broader range of topics.
“We appreciated the opportunity to discuss these pressing matters relating to Turkey’s disconcerting religious freedom actions with Ambassador Hussain, the government’s top official on international religious freedom,” Larigakis said. “We look forward to working closing with his office and will continue to keep the community’s concerns about Turkey’s high on the government’s policy agenda.”
AHI’s Policy Consultant, Elias Gerasoulis, also attended.
For more information about AHI’s work on this topic here.
The American Hellenic Institute is an independent non-profit Greek American public policy center and think tank that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within 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.
