ANCA’s Hamparian Strengthens Armenian-Hellenic Alliance at Pro-Cyprus Conference
Hellenic leaders on Capitol Hill for the 41st annual PSEKA Cyprus conference
Urges Washington to End “Quiet Diplomacy,” Impose Real Costs on Ankara in Address at 41st Annual PSEKA Cyprus Conference
WASHINGTON – Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian called on Washington to stop rewarding Turkish aggression and start imposing real consequences for Ankara’s illegal occupation of Cyprus and its unpunished genocide against Armenians, Greeks, and other Christians.
Hamparian made the statements at the 41st Annual PSEKA Cyprus Conference held in Washington last week. Speaking to an assembled gathering of senior Hellenic leaders and advocates, Hamparian underscored the enduring Armenian-Hellenic alliance as the force best positioned to compel that accountability and urged both communities to press the case with renewed urgency.
Hamparian offered remarks during the conference’s strategy session – “The Republic of Cyprus: A Strong Strategic Partner of the United States” – opening with a bold declaration: “There is no community closer to the Armenian heart than the Hellenic community. There is no cause dearer to the Armenian soul than the cause of Cyprus. Justice. Freedom. Reunification. An end to Turkish occupation.”
He pointed to a geopolitical moment he sees as uniquely favorable for both communities. “I see a Greece and Cyprus better positioned geo-politically than ever. I see a Turkish state more isolated — even reviled — than ever. The time is now.”
Hamparian was unsparing in his assessment of Washington’s record. “History has always been on our side. International law has always been on our side. The American people — and our Congress — have always been on our side. Now, the American government — this and all future Administrations — must stand on our side.”
He named the failure directly. America must act, “not as a ‘neutral’ observer. Not as an ‘honest broker.’ Not as a practitioner of endless ‘quiet diplomacy.’ Decade after decade. Generation after generation. Lifetime after lifetime. They’re slow-dancing justice — managing our expectations while carrying Ankara’s water. Locking in Turkey’s occupation. Rewarding its aggression. Consolidating its genocidal gains.”
Hamparian called for a clear shift in U.S. posture — one that matched diplomacy with real consequences. “The time is now. To hit — and hit hard. To strike the right balance — between being at the table, and — in equal measure — at their throats. For the fate of a free people is at stake.”
He pointed to a proven track record of Armenian-Hellenic advocacy moving U.S. policy. “We’ve done it before — blocking jets to Turkey, enforcing sanctions on Ankara, recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Time and the tides of history are on your side.”
Hamparian closed with a word in Greek — and a pledge of continued solidarity. “Justice — THEE-KAI-O-SEE-NEE (Δικαιοσύνη) — is on our side. As is the Armenian American community.”
The three-day conference brought together Cyprus Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry Michael Damianos, Cyprus Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis; Ambassador of Cyprus Evangelos Savva; Ambassador of Greece Antonis Alexandridis, and former CIA officer and commentator John Kiriakou.
On the conference’s second day, twenty-five Members of Congress and six U.S. Senators met with and addressed an assembled delegation of more than 80 Hellenic advocates on Capitol Hill. Congressional leaders included Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY), and Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), among many others.
PSEKA — the International Coordinating Committee “Justice for Cyprus” — is the leading umbrella organization in the United States advancing the cause of a free and reunified Cyprus. The conference was co-sponsored by AHEPA, AHI, HABA, the Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce, FCAO, the Chian Federation, the Hellenic American Leadership Council, and the Pancyprian Association of America, and coordinated by Manatos & Manatos/Coordinated Effort of Hellenes.
