The interview highlights the close relationship and cooperation of the Jewish community with the Greek diaspora, as well as Israel with Greece and Cyprus. in “K” the new head of the American Jewish Committee, Ted Deutschwho exactly two months ago assumed leadership of the organization after a successful twelve-year tenure as a member of the House of Representatives.

As Chairman of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and at the same time Founding Chairman of the Hellenic-Israeli Congressional Alliance Parliamentary Group, he has taken a leading role in promoting diplomatic initiatives such as the establishment of the 3+1 Cooperation Scheme, including Greece, Cyprus, Israel and USA.

Mr. Deutsch speaks of the strategic importance of Greece, which will increase in the future due to the critical role it now plays in terms of energy security in the context of the war in Ukraine, and at the same time the importance of Alexandroupolis and Souda Bay for regional stability and American interests in the region.

He believes that Turkey can participate in regional organizations such as the Eastern Mediterranean Natural Gas Forum, provided that it adheres to the rules adopted by other countries in the region, including those arising from the United Nations Natural Gas Convention. sea. In this context, he states that “periodic provocations and threats to the sovereignty of Greece and the ongoing occupation of Cyprus are just some of the issues that Ankara must correct.”

Finally, the CEO of the American Jewish Committee points out the importance of condemning the Golden Dawn by Greek voters and the Greek legal system, while expressing his concern about the rise of anti-Semitism in the US and around the world, calling for revitalization to fight against it, even specifically mentioning “online anti-Semitism and hatred that lead to real-life violence.”

“As founding chairman of the Hellenic Israel Congressional Group, I am honored to continue serving as CEO of the American Jewish Committee, an organization with deep and longstanding relationships with Greece, Cyprus, and the Greek American community. work to strengthen ties between the Jewish and Greek communities of the world. AJC’s special relationship with Hellenism has allowed it to play a role in many important historical events, including the complete renewal of diplomatic relations between Greece and Israel in 1990, the deepening of trilateral relations between Greece, Cyprus and Israel, and the establishment of a cooperation mechanism. “3 + 1”, which includes Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the United States.

In an article in The Washington Times in February 2013, which we co-authored with Congressman Gus Bilirakis, we stated: “The new partnership between Hellenism and Israel is a source of optimism and offers the world benefits out of all proportion to the scale of the ‘nations’ involved. Today it is clearer than ever. I look forward to supporting this important triangular relationship—and the partnership between the American-Jewish and Greek-American groups that support it—as it continues to advance energy security, counterterrorism, security, and economic cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond. .

The trilateral relationship (US-Greece-Israel) promotes energy security, counter-terrorism, and security and economic cooperation in the Southern Mediterranean and beyond.

“The United States played an important role in establishing the 3+1 cooperation mechanism and the Abraham Accords and will continue to play an equally important role in further developing and deepening these relations.

In particular, next year will provide excellent opportunities for the institutionalization of 3+1. The Senate is close to nominating six senators to make up the Inter-Parliamentary Forum, created by legislation I signed into law last year, the US-Greece Defense and Inter-Parliamentary Partnership Act. The meeting of representatives of the parliaments of the United States, Greece, Cyprus and Israel will be a turning point for the “3 + 1” and will help advance important initiatives on which the four countries are cooperating. This meeting is to be followed by a meeting between the US Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel. The benefits of peace and coexistence with Israel are clear, and we will continue to see countries in the Middle East deepen their relationship with Israel. The presence of Secretary of State Blinken at the Negev summit demonstrated that regional actors continue to count on US partnership and leadership.

– You are right that Turkey, unfortunately, chose to remain an external observer in the Eastern Mediterranean. Across the region, we are seeing states that previously had hostile or cold relations come together in a new spirit of cooperation. The door for Turkey’s participation in organizations such as the Eastern Mediterranean Natural Gas Forum has never been closed, but Ankara must agree to abide by the rules adopted by other members, including those stemming from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Natural Gas. Turkey’s refusal to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization, the periodic provocations and threats to Greek sovereignty, and the continued occupation of Cyprus are just some of the issues that Ankara needs to address if it truly wants to join the community of states. each other in the S. Mediterranean.

Greece – and the regional initiatives I mentioned – enjoy strong bipartisan support in Congress. I would like to remind everyone that the important Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act, which I signed with my colleagues Congressmen Bilirakis and Cicilini and Senators Menendez and Rubio, was also passed by a divided Congress. I am confident that this bipartisan support will continue and AJC will continue to work with both sides to strengthen the US-Greece bilateral relationship and our cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Prime Minister Mitsotakis certainly made a special impression on my former colleagues when he addressed a joint session of Congress last May, and many legislators are deeply involved in these issues.

Both Ambassador Mr. Tsunis in Greece and Ambassador Ms. Papadopoulou in Washington are doing exemplary work in terms of reaching out to Congress and activating the two legislatures. Greece’s role in enhancing energy security in the wake of the war in Ukraine and the importance of Alexandroupolis and Souda Bay have made it more than clear to politicians that Greece’s strategic value will continue to grow in the future. As the Eastern Mediterranean assumes even greater importance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, I expect Congress to be even more proactive, especially with respect to the full implementation of the 2019 Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 in the US Mediterranean and in US-Greece relations in areas of defense and defence. Law on Inter-Parliamentary Partnership.

We will not allow the normalization of anti-Semitism

You’re right – almost immediately after I took over as CEO of AJC, Kanye West began spouting vulgar anti-Semitic rhetoric in front of a massive online audience, and Kyrie Irving promoted a film full of dangerous anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, these are not isolated cases – anti-Semitism continues to grow in the US and around the world at an alarming rate. Moreover, we see again and again how online anti-Semitism and hatred lead to real-life violence. It is imperative that we fight anti-Semitism together and I am grateful to the Greek government and the Greek community for being strong partners in this fight.

– The Golden Dawn party is banned in Greece.

“It is more important than ever to take action to prevent the “normalization” of anti-Semitism. Greece’s acceptance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, the condemnation of the Golden Dawn by Greek voters and the Greek legal system, and warm relations with Israel across the Greek political spectrum are examples of actions I hope for. see more often around the world. We must all condemn anti-Semitism wherever it appears, such as the belief that Israel should not exist or that the Jews should be the only people in the world without the right to self-determination. I am looking forward to speaking at a conference on anti-Semitism organized by Mr. Bakoyannis this week and I am confident that the Greek union will inspire strong local policies to fight anti-Semitism worldwide.

Event “K”

Next Thursday, Ted Deutsch will be in Athens to take part as keynote speaker in an event organized by “K” in collaboration with the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) and the Delphi Economic Forum and focusing on the future of Greece’s defining relationship with dispersion. The Jewish diaspora is an example from which Hellenism can learn many lessons, while the growing close cooperation between Greek and Jewish communities in the powerful countries of the world is acquiring strategic characteristics that bring tangible benefits. In 2020, as a Member of Congress, Mr. Deutsch was awarded the Athens-Wishner Award by the HALC and the American Jewish Committee. In July 2019, he led a group of U.S. congressmen to visit the Souda base, participating in a House Foreign Affairs Committee mission to Athens last July.