Over 40 US Policymakers Meet with Hellenic Leaders at the 40th Annual PSEKA Cyprus Conference
For Release, June 23, 2025
For the 40th Annual PSEKA Cyprus Conference, PSEKA brought together in Washington, DC Greek American leaders from AHEPA, AHI, Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce, FCAO, the Chios Federations of America and Canada and others to hear from 35 of our country’s most significant members of Congress and Senators, as well as high level officials in the Trump Administration. It was a critical opportunity to share with these policymakers key issues of concern to the Hellenic community and to honor some of those who have been longtime supporters on our issues.
Cyprus Spokesman Letymbiotis, Ambassador Savva, Ambassador Nassika, Congresswoman Dina Titus, and other Hellenic leaders gather on Capitol Hill
Less than one month after Michael Rigas was confirmed by the US Senate to assume the prestigious position of Deputy Secretary of State in the Trump Administration, he met with top officials of the Republic of Cyprus and with Greek American leaders from across America and abroad at the 40th Annual PSEKA Cyprus Conference. In his position, Rigas serves under the Secretary of State who is the highest ranking Cabinet member and fourth in line for presidential succession. Serious issues relating to Cyprus were addressed in the gathering where Secretary Rigas was presented the Athens/Livanos Award. This award is presented to an individual who, like Andrew Athens and George P. Livanos “has utilized ancient Hellenic values to realize extraordinary achievement in modern society while contributing to the improvement of our civilization.”
Accompanying Secretary Rigas for the award presentation were other State Department officials Josh Huck, Deputy Assistant Secretary; Shane Siegel, Acting Deputy in Charge at the US Embassy in Cyprus; and Marlene Stearns, Cyprus Desk Officer. Other Administration officials who participated in some of the Conference meetings included, John Gountanis, Deputy Undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security and Yuri Kim, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs.
Secretary Rigas with Athens/Livanos Award
PSEKA President Philip Christopher asking Secretary Rigas about a Cyprus issue
We were honored to have participating with us in these meetings the Deputy Minister to Cyprus President Christodoulides, Irene Piki; Cyprus Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis who travelled from Cyprus to join the conference; and the Ambassadors of Cyprus and Greece, the Honorable Evangelos Savva and the Honorable Ekaterina Nassika, respectively. Each addressed the group providing their perspectives on issues crucial to our communities.
Cyprus Spokesman Letymbiotis addresses our group
Top Hellenic leaders join Secretary Rigas
In addition to meeting with and honoring Secretary Rigas, the group of Hellenic leaders traveled to the US Capitol building where Republican and Democrats leaders of the US Congress showed their support for Cyprus and Hellenic issues. The Republican Leader of the US House of Representatives, Steve Scalise, the Democratic Leader of the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, and the Democratic Leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries spent considerable time with those attending the PSEKA conference discussing issues of importance to the Cypriot and Greek communities.
Majority Leader of the US House of Representatives, the number two ranking official in the House, Steve Scalise addresses our group
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who was introduced by Dennis Mehiel, addresses the conference
Dennis Mehiel introduced Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries
Hellenic leaders with Leader Jeffries
Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees also met with PSEKA Conference attendees. They included the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch (R-ID), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE). Senator Coons also was presented the Paraskevaides/Mouyiaris Award as an individual who, like Nikos Mouyiaris and George Paraskevaides, “has utilized ancient Hellenic values to contribute to the nations and people of Cyprus and America and to Hellenism in the modern world.”
Tom Katsilometes introduced Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch, who is depicted here with Philip Christopher
Senator Coons, who was introduced by Delaware State Senator Spiros Mantzavinos, is presented with the Paraskevaides/Mouyiaris Award by Andy Manatos
Senator Chris Van Hollen, longtime Philhellene and member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees meets with the group. Featured here (left to right) are Ambassador Savva, Cyprus Spokesman Letymbiotis, Van Hollen, Andreas Kramvis and Philip Christopher
Conference attendees heard from the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and had the opportunity to honor the Vice Chair on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Darrell Issa (R-CA) with the Sarbanes Freedom Award which recognizes those whose efforts “have contributed to the removal of the barbed wire which has divided the nation of Cyprus for over 50 years.”
Hellenic leaders with Ranking Member Meeks
Philip Christopher introduces Vice Chair Issa of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
Vice Chair Issa being presented the Sarbanes Freedom Award
Leaders in the Cyprus community also recognized Andreas Kramvis with the Paraskevaides/Mouyiaris Award for his dedication to Cypriot issues. Kramvis served as CEO of a number of large multinational businesses in the Industrial, Electronics, Chemical and Oil Sectors. He retired from Honeywell International as Vice Chairman and is known for effecting major company turnarounds and for introducing leading edge technologies. The Andreas & Shirley Kramvis Foundation, established in 2018, supports principally Greek and Cyprus philanthropic causes on an annual basis including the Athens Foodbank, Orphanages in Greece, the Cyprus Children’s Fund, the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society and the Karaiskakion Foundation in Cyprus.
Hellenic Leaders with former Vice Chairman of Honeywell, Andreas Kramvis
Conference attendees heard from many other members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in addition to Congressmen Meeks and Issa, including Gabe Amo (D-RI), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Julie Johnson (D-TX), Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-NJ), Sarah McBride (D-DE), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Greek American members Dina Titus (D-NV) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY).
Hellenic leaders with Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis
The PSEKA Cyprus Conference was an opportunity to honor other critical policymakers including:
- Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) who was presented with the James Williams Award, named for an African American from Baltimore, MD who went to Greece in 1821 to fight alongside Hellenes in the Greek War of Independence
- Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who was honored with the Frizis Award, named after Mordechai Frizis, the Jewish Greek hero who was the first high ranking Greek military officer to give his life in defense of freedom against the Axis Powers in 1940
Delaware State Senator Spiros Mantzavinos presents Senator Blunt Rochester with the James Williams Award
Andy Manatos and Basil Simon present Senator Slotkin with the Frizis Award
Two key members of the important Senate Armed Services Committee addressed the group: Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) and senior Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
Hellenic Leaders with Senator Reed
Hellenic Leaders with Senator Blumenthal
The historic figure of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi who throughout her career supported Cyprus, Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate also attended the PSEKA Conference where she received the Sarbanes Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to her unwavering, decades-long support for Cyprus, Pelosi enabled, for the first time in history, a Prime Minister of Greece to address a joint session of the US Congress.
Speaker Emerita Pelosi and her husband Paul with (left to right) Mike Manatos, Executive Director of The Hellenic Initiative; Philip Christopher; Dennis Mehiel; Andy Manatos; and Kimberley Matthews Fraser
Hellenic Leaders with Speaker Emerita Pelosi
Other Members of the House who expressed their strong support for Cyprus and for a just Cyprus settlement include Greek American Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) and Mike Haridopolos (R-FL), as well as Congressmen Dan Goldman (D-NY), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Robert Menendez, Jr. (D-NJ), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Jim Himes (D-CT), and Tom Suozzi (D-NY).
Co-Chair of the Hellenic Caucus, Congressman Gus Bilirakis
Congressman Chris Pappas, a candidate for the US Senate, addresses our group
Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander
Congressman Haridopolos addresses our group
Congressman Pallone, Jr. addresses our group
Philip Christopher and Congressman Raskin
Another consequential member of the US State Department, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Josh Huck, was honored by the group and will soon be stationed in Athens as the second highest ranking official in the US Embassy. Huck was presented the Conalis-Kontou Award for his significant contributions behind the scenes for Cyprus-US and Greece-US bilateral relations.
Josh Huck addresses our group
Ambassador Savva and Josh Huck
Hellenic leaders with Josh Huck
The Conference concluded with a stimulating panel discussion on American investment in Cyprus. Panelists included Demetrios Comodromos, president of the Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce; Andreas Kramvis; Chad Wolf, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer and Chair of Center for Homeland Security and Immigration at the America First Policy Institute; and Aristos Constantine, Cyprus Trade Representative.
Panel (left to right) of Demetrios Comodromos, Andreas Kramvis, Chad Wolf, and Aristos Constantine
Other senior Cypriot and Greek officials participated in this year’s PSEKA Conference, including Cypriot Honorary Consuls Chris Angelides of TX and Poyxeni Potter of GA.
Other Cypriot Government Officials
Anthi Spathi (Deputy Chief of Mission)
Michael Firillas (Consul General of Cyprus in New York)
Constantinos Constantinou (Political Counsellor)
Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Andreou (Defense, Military, Air and Naval Attache)
Theodoros Georgiades (Press Attache)
Aristos Constantine (Cyprus Trade Representative)
Andronikos Stylianou (Congressional Liaison)
Greek Government Officials
Nikolaos Sapountzis (Deputy Chief of Mission)
Photis Bourlogiannis-Tsangaridis (Head of Political Department)
Konstantinos Ntelikos (Political Counselor)
Martinos Mandalidis (Political Counselor)
Filia Kyranoudi-Kolman (Political Secretary)
Michael Skopelitis (Consul)
Stefanos Spyrou (Head of Public Diplomacy Office)
Valia Mitsakis (Deputy Chief of Staff, Assistant to the Ambassador)
Colonel Odysseas Papaevangelou
Captain Nikolaos Lazakis
Colonel Ioannis Markakis
Captain Ioannis Kakavelakis
Colonel Apostolos Moutzourellis
Lieutenant Colonel Evangelos Zacharis
Lieutenant Colonel Dimitrios Oikonomopoulos
Lieutenant Colonel Nikolaos Stasinakis
Lieutenant Colonel Leonidas Kantzidis
Commander Christos Voulgaris
Major Athanasios Kaias
Sergeant Major Christos Patsios
As in previous PSEKA Conferences the Ambassador of Cyprus, The Honorable Evangelos Savva, hosted an evening welcoming reception for the conference attendees at his historic personal residence in Washington. The residence was once owned, during the Administration of President John F. Kennedy, by one of America’s most famous stars and close friend to the President, Frank Sinatra.
This was the 40th PSEKA Cyprus Conference in Washington, DC, sponsored by PSEKA-Justice for Cyprus Committee chaired by Philip Christopher, with support from AHEPA and Supreme President Savas Tsivicos; the American Hellenic Institute, headed by Nick Laragakis; the Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce; led by Demetrios Comodromos; the Chion Federation led by Mark Marinakis, and FCAO.
Hellenic Leaders in attendance included, among others:
US-based Organizations
AHEPA Supreme President, Savas Tsivicos
AHI (American Hellenic Institute President & CEO), Nick Larigakis
Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce President Demetrios Comodromos
Chian Federation of America
FCAO President, Kyriacos Papastylianou
FCAO Chapters:
Varnavas Zagaris, President, Pancyprian Association of Florida
Dino Miltiadou, President, Pancyprian Association of Metropolitan Washington
Peter Loucas, President Asgata Association
Stavros Kamillaris, President Lampousa Society
Steve Theofanous, Great American Society of Greater Chicago
Dennis Mehiel, Chairman Friends of St. Nicholas National Shrine
John Louzios, CT
Basil Simon, MI
Niovi Christopoulou
State Elected Officials
RI State Senator Lou Raptakis
DE State Senator Spiros Mantzavinos
International
Andreas Papaevripides, President POMAK
Maria Kokkinou, Cyprus Maronites Representative
Lefteris Antoniou, President, Committee of Occupied Communities
Lygia Christoforou-Antoniou, Cultural Representative of the Massari Occupied Community Council