Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Ahepa Meets With State Department; Voices Concerns Of Hellenic-American Community
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Posted: Thursday, December 21, 2000 08:01 pm CST

Washington-Members of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), the world's leading Hellenic heritage organization, met Friday, Dec. 15, with three officials from the U.S. Department of State to discuss issues of concern to the Hellenic-American community and to explore avenues where AHEPA can provide assistance, announced Supreme President Johnny N. Economy.

In addition to the Cyprus problem, Economy, who described the meeting as "substantive," addressed three areas of concern with Ann K. Korky, director, Office of Southern European Affairs; and Alec Mally and James P. DeHart, desk officers, Office of Southern European Affairs. These areas were: the arrest of Father Yusuf Akbulut, an Assyrian priest in Turkey who recognized the 1915 Genocide in a Turkish newspaper interview; the sale of 145 attack helicopters to Turkey, and the shelving of the Armenian Genocide Resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives due to pressure from Turkey.

According to newspaper reports, Akbulut was charged with treason for expressing his views publicly. However, the State Department informed the Ahepans that Akbulut was arrested under Article 3, Section 12 of Turkish law pertaining to freedom of expression, and not treason, as was reported. The State Department will be monitoring the situation closely as a result of the concern expressed by AHEPA, said Economy.

In regard to both the attack helicopter and Armenian Genocide issues, AHEPA expressed disappointment with the State Department's position.

"We questioned the need for Turkey, a nation that just borrowed 7.5 billion in emergency loans from the IMF, to spend billions in offensive weaponry in an environment of rapprochement and when human rights is primary concern," said Cyprus and Hellenic Affairs Chairman Vassos Chrysanthou.

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