Greek and U.S. officials stressed that the bilateral relations between the two countries are better than ever. However, this “does not mean that our problems will be solved tomorrow,” note Nick Larigakis, president of the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) during his speech at an event organized in Thessaloniki by the American Universities Alumni Association of Northern Greece. According to Larigakis, over the last 27 years he has been lobbying for Greek national issues in the U.S. decision-making institutions by promoting American interests. Furthermore, he noted that Turkey is a NATO member, occupying a part of Cyprus, an EU member-state, thus violating the rule of law. Meanwhile, when the U.S. request something from Turkey, they always have to give something back in return. On the other hand, Greece is a reliable ally and the U.S. needs our country as a stable and loyal partner in order to promote their interests in the Southeast Mediterranean. The AHI president believes that Greece and Cyprus need to invest in professional lobbying services so that they can gain access to U.S. decision-making institutions. As far as the financial crisis is concerned, Nick Larigakis stressed that the crisis must be seen as the catalyst that will help Greece move forward. Americans need to see new laws being adopted so that the investment filed is improved and the liquidity problem is solved, he said. The Greek Minister of Macedonia and Thrace, Georgios Orfanos was also present at the event alongside the Central Macedonia Prefect, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the commander of the Third Army Corps/NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Greece, Lieutenant Ilias Leontaris, and the American Universities Alumni Association of Northern Greece, Nikos Filippou.
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