Letter to President Beidesent by American lawmakers asking him to invite President Nikos Christodoulidis to the White House on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

In their letter, the leading members of the Hellenic caucus in the House of Representatives present specific proposals and ask President Biden to take steps to strengthen the strategic partnership between the United States and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean .

The letter is signed by MPs Nicole Malliotakis, Chris Papas, Gus Bilirakis, Dina Titus, and John Sarbanis.

Lawmakers’ Letter to Joe Biden

“Dear President Biden,

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Turkey’s brutal invasion and continued occupation of the Republic of Cyprus. Since your first days in the Senate, few elected officials have shown your trial understanding of this unforgivable tragedy, and even fewer have reached the level of your unwavering support for the reunification of the island as a bizonal and bicommunal federation.

As members of the House Hellenic Caucus, we urge your administration to mark this sad commemorative year with meaningful action that will substantially upgrade the United States’ relationship with one of our most trusted strategic partners. We agree with your recent statement that American leadership is what holds the world together, that American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. Reaffirming our bond with key partners—in this case, the Republic of Cyprus—is critical to projecting American values ​​and strengthening international cooperation on the world’s most pressing challenges.

On July 20, 1974, Turkish forces invaded Cypriot towns and villages, forcing their legitimate residents to flee for their lives. Since then, Cypriots have endured a massive Turkish occupation in an ongoing affront to their sovereignty and democratic freedoms. Your observation that we know our allies and, perhaps more importantly, our adversaries and competitors are watching, could not be more true than it is of Turkey’s actions in Cyprus.

In 2014, you became the highest-ranking US official to visit Cyprus since then-Vice President Lyndon Johnson in 1962. During that visit, you acknowledged Cyprus’ important role as an ally, remarking: “Cyprus can be a rising power for peace, prosperity and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and that would benefit the world.”

Almost a decade later, Cyprus has proven to be the stabilizing and peaceful force in the regionor as you correctly predicted, having aligned its policies with US interests. Cyprus has worked to combat Russian money laundering, intercepted tons of Iranian explosives and proved a reliable partner by treating wounded US Marines who cannot receive treatment at the Incirlik US base in Turkey. More recently, in response to Hamas’ brutal attack on Israeli civilians, Cyprus rescued thousands of innocent Americans and others who fled Israel and is currently leading efforts to establish a humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza. Beyond this proven vital partnership, our nations have found key areas of cooperation through the 3+1 Eastern Mediterranean Cooperation Framework, including the development of CYCLOPS, the facility that hosts joint training for maritime and border security, counter-terrorism and cyber security between the US and Cyprus and other regional allies.

With this compelling track record of cooperation in mind we propose considering several key actions that will signal America’s appreciation of Cyprus’ vital role and also act to further strengthen the US-Cyprus strategic partnership in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Firstly, we urge you to officially welcome Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis to the White House. An official visit will shed a powerful light on peace building in Cyprus and demonstrate America’s broad interest in peaceful conflict resolution around the world. It will be an important statement to allies threatened by authoritarianism that the United States is a determined global leader committed to preserving and promoting democratic freedoms. You have done more than any American President in recent memory to sound the alarm about threats to democracy at home and abroad. Showing solidarity with the Republic of Cyprus, a key partner in this ongoing struggle, will confirm your unwavering commitment to strengthening democratic principles at this critical time.

Secondly, we ask you to harness the power of the 3+1 arrangement to advance the joint strategic interests of the United States and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean region by swiftly convening a 3+1 Foreign Ministerial Meeting. At a time of rising global tensions, it is more important than ever to promote regional stability and strengthen cooperation among key partner countries for mutual economic and political goals by facilitating these regional talks.

Thirdly, we welcome the first steps to add Cyprus to the Visa Waiver Program along with many of its neighbors in the European Union. This Program serves to strengthen the ties between nations and the accession of Cyprus is the right policy. We urge the smooth and effective integration of Cyprus into the Program once the necessary security steps have been completed by your government.

Finally, we would like to thank you for the complete lifting of the arms embargo on Cyprus by 2024. This decision is a testament to the reforms that Cyprus has implemented under the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Cooperation Act of 2019, to to prevent Russian influence and money laundering. While we believe this is an important first step in recognizing Cyprus’ continued commitment to these reforms, we urge you to extend this lifting of the arms embargo beyond the one-year time frame that will allow for advanced planning and ensure interoperability with allies.

Your long record of support for the US-Cyprus relationship is deeply appreciated by all who have worked over the past five decades to achieve justice for the Cypriot people. We know you feel the gravity of this moment as keenly as we do, and we ask you to mark this sad occasion with concrete, meaningful actions that can advance a just solution in Cyprus.”