AHI President Concludes Successful Short Trip to Greece, Cyprus
(L-R) AHI President Nick Larigakis and the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides
No 3
ATHENS, GREECE - American Hellenic Institute President Nick Larigakis completed a successful visit to Greece and Cyprus, January 16 to 20, 2024.
President Larigakis met with President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace on had a discussion on a series of issues of mutual interest as it relates to U.S. relations with Cyprus.
Also, Mr. Larigakis called on the top military officer in Cyprus, Lt. General Georgios Tsitsikostas, who serves as chief of the National Guard General Staff of Cyprus. This was the first official visit by Larigakis to the new Chief.
“I sincerely thank President Christodoulides and Lieutenant General Tsitsikostas for their time and fruitful discussion,” Larigakis said
In Athens, President Larigakis attended a change of command ceremony for the Hellenic Defense General Staff, which was held at Greece’s Military Academy (comparable to “West Point”). Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (HNDGS) General Konstantinos Floros turned over command to Lieutenant General Dimitrios Houpis, the former Commander of the Special Warfare Command.
Larigakis attended a similar ceremony for the Hellenic Navy General Staff. Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Vice Admiral Ioannis Drymousis turned over command to the new chief, Vice Admiral Dimitrios Kataras.
“It was a tremendous honor to witness these unique ceremonies, and I congratulate the incoming and outgoing officers and wish them well,” Larigakis said. “A special note about General Floros, who has been an exceptional friend to AHI over the last four years. We thank him for his impeccable dedicated service to Greece in such a vital role where the defense relationship between the United States and Greece flourished under his watch.”
Also while in Athens, Larigakis discussed mutual economic cooperation between the United States and Greece with representatives of Enterprise Greece, which is administered under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Enterprise Greece is designed to promote and support Greece's substantial investment opportunities and to engage with the global business community.
Separately, Larigakis also met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou, who is the immediate-former ambassador of Greece to the U.S.
The visit also included President Larigakis’ participation at AHI-Athens Chapter’s Vasilopita-cutting ceremony at the Athens Club on January 20, 2024, where he addressed the audience.
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.
