On September 22, 2023, the FCAO successfully held its annual Testimonial Dinner in New York, honoring former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with the Freedom Award. The event was co-chaired by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.
Mr. Pompeo, who was unable to make the trip to New York due to the inclement weather, spoke live to the audience via video conference and expressed his thanks and his deep appreciation for Greece, Cyprus, and personally for His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
During his remarks, the President of FCAO, Kyriacos Papastylianou, addressed President Christodoulides, congratulating him on his election and recalling his close ties with the Cypriot-American community. “Your close ties with our community are strong and deep. We are excited and look forward to working closely with you. You have our warmest best wishes,” said Papastylianou, who also praised Mike Pompeo.
For his part, Pancyprian Association and PSEKA President Philip Christopher credited Pompeo for his attitude towards Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, recognizing that he also contributed to upgrading their relations with the USA.
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, during his greeting, pointed out that “we are here with the Greek-Cypriot organizations to remember our mission for justice in Cyprus,” adding that “the illegal occupation of Cyprus should not go unnoticed by the rest of the world.” He also praised the work of Mike Pompeo while wishing that “the dream of a united Cyprus will come true and we will live to see it.”
During his speech, Secretary Pompeo, addressing the President of the Republic of Cyprus, said, "You are an excellent friend, but also a great leader for the people of Cyprus. Congratulations on your well-deserved election, and I know you will do great things for the people of your country." In addition, Mike Pompeo spoke on the importance of religious freedom, which he said is an important priority. At the same time, he also recalled his trip to Constantinople and the meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, of whom he spoke warmly.
In his speech, President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said, “today we honor a close friend of Cyprus and Greece, who has been a staunch supporter of building closer ties between Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the United States to preserve stability and security in Eastern Mediterranean.”
The event was attended by many dignitaries, including Archbishop Demetrios formerly of America, Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Konstantinou, Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, Consul of Greece Dimitrios Papageorgiou, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the U.S. Evangelos Savva, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus Konstantinos Kombos, Cyprus Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotism Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the U.N. Ambassador Andreas Hadjichrysanthou, and Ambassador Marios Lysiotis, recently appointed Diaspora and Repatriates Commissioner.
For more information, please e-mail: info@fcaousa.org
