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“TRIBUTE TO HER EXCELLENCY ERATO KOZAKOU-MARCOULLIS, THE AMBASSADOR OF CYPRUS TO THE UNITED STATES” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1645 on July 25, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO HER EXCELLENCY ERATO KOZAKOU-MARCOULLIS, THE AMBASSADOR OF
CYPRUS TO THE UNITED STATES
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HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Friday, July 25, 2003
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the most distinguished members of the diplomatic corps here in Washington, Her Excellency Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, the Ambassador of Cyprus to the United States. Sometime next month, Ambassador Marcoullis will be leaving Washington, after nearly five years of service to her country in our nation's capital. The Ambassador will be assuming a major, high-
level post in the Foreign Ministry in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia.
It is with mixed feelings that I come to the floor today to make this statement. In my capacity as co-chair of the Hellenic Issues Caucus, I have had the great honor and privilege of working with Ambassador Marcoullis. I have come to regard her not only as a determined, effective and articulate advocate for her country, but also as a friend. As the former co-chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus, I have always felt a particular bond with Ambassador Marcoullis, who is one of what is still unfortunately only a handful of women ambassadors here in Washington. So, for these reasons, I am sad to see the Ambassador go.
Still, I am extremely encouraged to report that the Ambassador has received an important diplomatic promotion. When she heads back to Nicosia, Ambassador Marcoullis will be in charge of the Division at the Foreign Ministry that has responsibility for what is generally known as the Cyprus Problem--the tragic division of Cyprus that began 29 years ago with the Turkish invasion of that Mediterranean island nation. Indeed, in commemoration of the anniversary of the Turkish invasion, which took place July 20, 1974, a number of my colleagues in this House have joined me in making statements of remembrance, as we do every year around this time.
During her five years here in Washington, there have been many important achievements for Cyprus, and in U.S.-Cypriot relations. Last year, after years of hard work, the Ambassador signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the State Department regarding the protection of antiquities from Cyprus. Last year also witnessed the signing of the U.S.-Cyprus Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, bringing into force the reciprocal law enforcement treaty between the two nations. After the 9/
11 terrorist attacks, Cyprus was among the first nations to express its solidarity with the U.S. Since then, Cyprus has taken many substantive steps to target the perpetrators and collaborators of terrorism, in close cooperation with the U.S.
In April of this year, Cyprus signed the Treaty of Accession to the European Union, one of the most important achievements in the modern history of Cyprus. Cyprus will become a full member of the EU next May. It was during the tenure of Ambassador Marcoullis that U.S. foreign policy on Cyprus began to move in the direction of helping drive Cyprus' admission into the EU, particularly during the Clinton Administration through the work of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, with whom Ambassador Marcoullis worked very closely. I am pleased that the Bush Administration has continued to support this policy. Indeed, Ambassador Marcoullis has worked very closely with top officials of the current Administration to keep relations on track in a wide variety of areas.
Of course, the one area where we have not witnessed significant progress is in ending the ongoing Turkish military occupation of Cyprus. This is certainly not for lack of effort by the Ambassador or her fine staff at the Embassy in Washington. Nor is it the fault of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, which has continued to negotiate in good faith to end the division of Cyprus. The fault lies with Turkey and with the occupation regime. I again urge my colleagues in Congress to continue working with me and many of our colleagues, on a bipartisan basis, to help convince Turkey to end its illegal occupation of one-
third of Cypriot territory.
One of Ambassador Marcoullis' greatest achievements has been simply to sustain and enhance up the visibility of the Cyprus issue. Cyprus is a relatively small country, but it is at the center of a region of great importance to the U.S. and the Western Alliance. Ambassador Marcoullis has been tireless in her efforts to elevate the awareness of these issues. Owing in large measure to her efforts, it is now an issue that is regularly addressed by the White House, the State Department and Congress.
Ambassador Marcoullis presented her credentials to President Bill Clinton on September 10, 1998. In addition to her many responsibilities here in Washington, she is also accredited as High Commissioner to Canada, Guyana and Jamaica and Ambassador to Brazil. Throughout her distinguished diplomatic career, she has served as Ambassador to a number of European countries, as a Member of the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the United Nations, as Consul of Cyprus in New York, and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the First Political Division, dealing with the Cyprus Problem and as Director of the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Marcoullis has devoted particular attention to political, human rights and women's issues.
A native of Limassol, Cyprus, she is a graduate of Law and of Political Science/Public Law (University of Athens, Greece) and holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and Political Science (University of Helsinki, Finland). She is married to Dr. George Marcoullis, an Associate Professor of Medicine at New York Medical College, specializing in Oncology/Hematology. Their son Panos is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
Earlier this week, The Washington Times newspaper, in its ``Embassy Row'' column, reported on a dinner in honor of Ambassador Marcoullis hosted by Ambassador Arlette Conzemius of Luxembourg, who presented her credentials to President Clinton in 1998 on the same day as Mrs. Kozakou Marcoullis. They began an immediate friendship and helped organize the female ambassadors' caucus. Ambassador Conzemius congratulated Ambassador Marcoullis for maintaining Cyprus' high profile in Washington, saying ``What you did for your country, the progress, the success. It's great to see what has been accomplished.'' Those words would be echoed by many here on Capitol Hill, where Ambassador Marcoullis was well known and well respected.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, we will miss Ambassador Marcoullis. But it is encouraging to know that she is going back to Cyprus to take a leading role in facing the Cyprus problem. This is a woman who's going to make a difference. I'll miss her, but I have complete confidence in her ability to manage this problem; I congratulate her on this diplomatic promotion; and I look forward to working with her for the peaceful reunification of Cyprus.
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