“REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS” published by Congressional Record on July 25, 2018

“REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS” published by Congressional Record on July 25, 2018

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Volume 164, No. 125 covering the 2nd Session of the 115th Congress (2017 - 2018) was published by the Congressional Record.

The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.

“REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H7681-H7684 on July 25, 2018.

The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) for 30 minutes.

General Leave

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of my Special Order.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?

There was no objection.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of both the Hellenic Caucus and the Congressional Hellenic-Israel Alliance, I rise tonight with my colleagues to provide an update on one of the United States' most strategic allies, the Republic of Cyprus.

Sadly, Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 44th anniversary of the illegal invasion and occupation of 40,000 Turkish troops in Cyprus. Turkey, a NATO ally, must cease its inflammatory rhetoric, normalize relations with the Republic of Cyprus, and commit to peacefully working toward a negotiated solution. Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Mr. Speaker, deserve an end to the senseless division and occupation.

Despite the challenge of continued occupation, Cyprus has long been a strong and faithful ally of the United States. Due to Cyprus' unique geopolitical role in the eastern Mediterranean, it is in the best interests of our country, the United States of America, to support peace and the end of this illegal occupation. Cyprus' special geopolitical position stems from its location at the southeasternmost corner of the EU.

The eastern Mediterranean is turbulent, Mr. Speaker, but holds a promise of significant opportunity. Cyprus' status as an EU member state, as well as its excellent longstanding relations with its neighbors, enhances its strategic importance to the United States.

Cyprus has taken steps in recent years to facilitate international partnerships and demonstrated an impressive ability to serve as a catalyst in the development of mutually beneficial goals among countries in the region and around the globe.

Of equal importance, Cyprus also enjoys a longstanding record of serving as an unwavering U.S. ally by promoting regional stability, energy security, and counterterrorism efforts. Regional stability is a necessary precursor to attainment of its full economic, social, and strategic potential.

Moderate countries in the eastern Mediterranean have an obligation to strengthen their ties because, the stronger the bonds, the greater the opportunity for building a more prosperous, peaceful future.

As discussed by Cyprus' Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides, Cyprus recognizes the importance of regional stability. Along with Greece, it has spearheaded efforts to create trilateral cooperation mechanisms with moderate countries of the region, including Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon.

This initiative has been one of the most successful developments of the past decade and has laid the foundation for regional cooperation on a variety of priority goals that are crucial to the international community. These trilateral discussions are now commonplace, and the meetings are taking place at regular intervals, creating and facilitating the development of mutually beneficial partnerships around a broad range of areas, including economic cooperation, culture, and education.

Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and Prime Minister Tsipras joined President Anastasiades in Nicosia in May for a trilateral meeting. Currently, preparations are under way for a trilateral meeting between Cyprus, Greece, and Egypt in Crete, and in December with Israel.

Minister Christodoulides has explained that the central tenets of the trilateral cooperation are neither exclusionary nor exclusive; additionally, they are not directed against any country but, instead, are utilized as an opportunity for promoting enhanced cooperation.

As with everything in life, there is no one-size-fits-all approach, as you know, Mr. Speaker, but each trilateral meeting has been crafted to meet the needs of participating countries when it makes sense to do so.

Additionally, Cyprus has taken the lead to include countries from outside the regions to further economic, social, and international goals. For example, Cyprus, Greece, and Israel have expanded their talks to include Italy and the European Commission in negotiations on energy-related issues. The benefits from these regional developments positively impact participating countries as well as the United States of America and the international community as a whole.

Cyprus holds the potential to play an important role in international energy security, Mr. Speaker, which is obviously a natural interest to the United States of America. The discovery of hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean has motivated countries within the region to work together in order to maximize the benefit of these natural resources.

The U.S. Geological Survey assessments indicate the eastern Mediterranean region holds large quantities of natural gas and oil. It is in the United States' best interest, in my opinion, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that these resources held by an allied nation contribute to the availability of affordable energy. This development can help ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the region.

Minister Christodoulides, again, also heralds the work of Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon, in partnership with Cyprus, again, to formulate their own exclusive economic zones, or EEZ, which has created greater transparency based on international law, outlined new economic border structures, and established a proven framework for cooperation around a common goal.

This framework also created the necessary legal and institutional structures to attract investment in Cyprus by major oil and gas companies. ExxonMobil, Eni, Total, Noble Energy, and Shell have entered into agreements with Cyprus for exploratory drilling and development work. Energy expansion in Cyprus holds even greater future potential, and it will compete directly with Russian energy in the region.

Cyprus is also close to concluding agreements for the export of natural gas from its Aphrodite reservoir in its EEZ to Egypt and the plants there in Egypt. It is also concluding an intergovernmental agreement with Egypt that will create a direct, underwater pipeline to carry Aphrodite's natural gas to Egypt.

Similarly, the East Med pipeline project will allow for the transfer of natural gas, by an underwater pipeline, from Israel and Cyprus to Greece via Crete and from Greece to Italy.

Energy potential and its accompanying economic benefit has become a tool of cooperation and alignment of initiatives that would create an economy of scale and invite investment while meeting the energy security needs of the region.

Cyprus has also proven itself as an important partner in the global war against terrorism. Since their inception, the trilateral meetings led by Cyprus have always included counterterrorism cooperation as a priority. Minister Christodoulides, again, correctly asserted earlier this year that it is not enough to secure one's country and borders; close cooperation with reliable and like-minded partners is also necessary.

Cyprus has entered into a close dialogue with its regional neighbors to create a unified approach to battling terrorist ideology, understanding that there are no firm barriers to the spread of radical indoctrination, especially given the advent of social media, Mr. Speaker.

Cyprus is participating in a number of international efforts, including the Coalition Against the Islamic State and the Aqaba Process. Minister Christodoulides further noted that Cyprus has actively, and in cooperation with some of its European allies, provided military assistance and nonmilitary support to international efforts in the African region of the Sahel.

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Cyprus has cooperated with the U.S. in providing specialized training assistance to officials from neighboring countries and collaborated closely with Egypt. The training revolves mostly on civilian type of expertise, in customs and border controls.

Additionally, Cyprus has provided training on the identification and containment of various chemicals, as well as better storage and handling of dangerous substances. Cyprus has also explored collaborative efforts to counter violent extremism and radicalization in an attempt to attack the problem at its root.

In recent years, Cyprus has invested a great deal of energy and resources in education and the exposure of its communities to the historical roots of anti-Semitism and racism. This is an invaluable investment, not only because it is the right thing to do, Mr. Speaker, but because it is the best proven way to prevent radicalization and violence.

Cyprus is committed to remain at the forefront of these efforts. After suffering a profound financial crisis not long ago, the previous decade, Cyprus has undertaken significant reforms under the great, capable leadership of President Anastasiades that have stabilized and strengthened the country's economy and its banking sector.

The result of these reforms, coupled with other government policies and the ingenuity of the very special Cypriot people, is that the Cypriot economy is experiencing strong growth and is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe.

The future is bright for Cyprus. They are really a great model to go by. Again, the future is bright for Cyprus and its banking sector.

This is the fourth year in a row, Mr. Speaker, that they have had positive GDP growth. The EU predicts that real GDP growth is expected to reach 3.6 percent in 2018 and 3.3 percent in 2019. Unemployment continues to shrink with the rate being cut in half to 8 percent since the financial crisis, and it was a crisis, there is no question. I talked to many people who live on the island and many relatives here in the United States of those folks, and they went through a lot, but they recovered.

Cyprus can survive, Mr. Speaker. It is surviving without dependence on Russian money. Russian deposits have dropped nearly 50 percent and make up just 5 percent of the three largest banks' portfolios.

Cyprus has been actively promoting policies to counter money laundering and terrorist financing activities. The powers and tools of the regulators, principally the Central Bank of Cyprus, the office of the attorney general, and financial intelligence units have been greatly upgraded.

As a result, the Cyprus banking sector has significantly improved ultimate beneficial ownership transparency, greatly reduced its dependency on foreign deposits and transactions, and terminated accounts that do not meet its rigorous new standards.

Ending the illegal occupation of Cyprus, Mr. Speaker, would safeguard the country's independence while amplifying its bridge-building capacity. What a capacity it has. They have done so much. So just think, if there was reunification, Mr. Speaker.

Again, further stabilizing and bringing peace to the region, it is in our national interests, Mr. Speaker. All of which, again, makes Cyprus an even stronger ally of the United States.

After stalling earlier this year, reunification efforts are once again underway. Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Jane Holl Lute has recently been appointed the U.N.'s new special adviser in the Cyprus reunification talks.

Ms. Lute plans to tour Nicosia, Athens, and Ankara this month and provide an assessment to the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres on whether there is potential for the assumption of negotiations on the issue of reunification.

The Republic of Cyprus has been a steadfast ally, and Cypriots of all backgrounds desire an end to the senseless division of their homeland. Today, the United States, despite Erdogan's provocative language and actions, still enjoys a unique role as a partner for both Cyprus and Turkey. As an honest broker to both sides, we can help them see that a unified future for Cyprus is far more promising than the present division.

Our relationship with our allies must be based on shared values and mutual respect. At the core, the rule of law must be respected above all else.

I encourage the Greek and Cypriot leaders to keep up the hard work of unifying a people divided for more than a generation. Tough and important issues remain, but, hopefully, this illegal occupation will come to an end.

A reunified island nation would serve as a spark for further cooperation and economic stability. In short, it would unleash the region's incredible potential.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), co-chair of the Hellenic Caucus. She is a founder, along with my father, Michael Bilirakis, of the Hellenic Caucus and also a member of the Congressional Hellenic-Israel Alliance.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and co-chair of the Hellenic Caucus for all his hard work on this Special Order and for his hard work in Congress and on so many issues. He has been a leader for Greece, Cyprus, Florida, and the United States, and is a strong and effective leader here in Congress.

Mr. Cicilline, who is here representing the Democratic side, has been a strong advocate and leader, not only in this but in so many areas in our caucus, in our Congress, and in so many ways.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to show my strong and unwavering support for the U.S.-Cyprus relationship.

As co-chair of the Hellenic Caucus along with Mr. Bilirakis, I would be remiss if I did not mention the tragic wildfires that tore through Greece yesterday, killing dozens, and injuring and displacing hundreds more. I am heartbroken by the loss of life and destruction these rapidly moving fires left in their wake, and I send my deepest condolences, along with all of my colleagues in Congress, to the Greek people at this time.

I know that the Hellenic American community, many of whom are my constituents, are affected by this disaster as well and have already begun efforts to help.

I want to thank, especially, my fellow Hellenic Caucus co-chair, Representative Gus Bilirakis from the great State of Florida, for organizing this Special Order hour, and also the Congressman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline) for joining him in organizing it.

I founded the caucus with his father, former Representative Mike Bilirakis, in 1996, and it remains one of the largest and most active caucuses in Congress. We founded this caucus after Turkey invaded EMEA. It seemed like, every other day, there was a major crisis that came to the floor of Congress, and we felt it was important to really find where our supporters were.

I am proud that, since this caucus has been founded, no single bill has been taken to the floor that in any way hinders or rolls back rights to Greece or Cyprus.

Cyprus is one of our staunchest allies in the world. Strengthening our alliance must remain a constant foreign policy priority for the United States.

We must acknowledge a solemn anniversary last week. It has been 44 years since the illegal, terrible, unjust invasion by Turkish troops into the northern third of the nation of Cyprus. To this day, the island and the people living on either side of the U.N.-monitored buffer zone remain separated. There are 40,000 Turkish troops occupying northern Cyprus today. It is unjust; it is wrong; and they should be removed.

They pose a looming threat that the Cypriot people have been forced to live with each and every day. Negotiations on reunification, unfortunately, are stalled for now, after some signs of progress early last year.

Turkish troops are undeniably a hindrance to peace. No just and lasting settlement for either Greece or Turkish Cypriots can be achieved with the presence of the Turkish military.

We are here today to show the support of the U.S. Congress for a bicommunal, bizonal federation that is in the best interests of the United States, the entire Eastern Mediterranean, and, most of all, Cypriots themselves.

Two years ago, I joined a congressional delegation led by Ileana Ros-

Lehtinen, the former chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, to Cyprus. As we toured along the buffer zone, or the so-called Green Line that partitions the country, the ghost towns of Famagusta and Varosha illustrated the drastic impact that a divided Cyprus has on its people.

I would call it a lost opportunity and lost economic advancement. It is literally a deserted ghost town on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, one of the most beautiful towns in the world. Yet, I have constituents who I represent who crawled out of Famagusta on their bellies as Turkish planes were dropping bombs after them, and their dream is to go back to their homeland.

But it is a wasteland. When you pass the Green Line into the occupied area, it is like totally deserted. It is like a lost economic opportunity, lost living style, lost life. When you see it, it is a visualization of so many opportunities lost for this great country, the time wasted and the development foregone because of this extended conflict and separation between the Greek and Cypriot areas and the Turkish areas.

Some may not be aware that the buffer zone is patrolled now by U.N. peacekeeping forces. The U.S. must maintain its financial support for these forces that are keeping peace in Cyprus. It is an effective investment, especially now, and it is needed.

There are numerous examples of Turkish aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean. Violations of Greek airspace and territorial waters are commonplace. Turkey continues to intimidate and interfere with the companies operating in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone and violates Cyprus' sovereign claims to its territory.

Fortunately, there are near-term initiatives that Congress is pursuing right now to defend Cyprus' stability and sovereignty. The NDAA conference report released Monday includes a provision to study lifting the arms embargo on Cyprus that has been in place since 1987.

I think we need to go much further than that. I think the embargo should be lifted today, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor of Representative Cicilline's bill to do just that. This study will hopefully be at least a step in the right direction.

The NDAA also prohibits the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. That provision is long overdue, and that is in the defense budget that we will be considering today and tomorrow.

Cyprus is a vital U.S. partner in global and regional security, economic cooperation, and energy development. I am proud to be a champion of this relationship in Congress through the Hellenic Caucus and to have the support of so many of my Hellenic American constituents in that effort.

Mr. Speaker, I see my colleague, Mr. Cicilline, representing the great State of Rhode Island is here. He is an incredible leader in this caucus, the leader of our messaging unit, and, in so many other ways, an important leader in this Congress.

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), a great advocate for Cyprus. We have cosponsored legislation together.

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for her co-

chairmanship of this caucus. Both Mr. Bilirakis and Mrs. Maloney have been great champions on this issue, and I am honored and privileged to work with them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to join both of my colleagues in celebrating the important relationship between the United States and Cyprus and in highlighting the critical role our partnership with Cyprus plays in advancing both of our nations' national security interests.

The Republic of Cyprus is a strategic partner to the United States in the eastern Mediterranean region and an effective ally combating threats posed by terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

Through information sharing, training programs, counterterrorism activities, and increased cooperation on energy policy, our relationship with Cyprus allows us to advance our Nation's interests, defend against the rise of terrorism and regional actors who seek to take steps counter to American interests, and to promote the ongoing close cooperation between the United States and Europe.

The U.S. participates in a number of joint exercises with Cyprus, including annual multinational search and rescue and crisis management exercises, and we coordinate training programs for Cyprus in explosives management and disposal, cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and maritime safety and security.

We work closely with our Cypriot allies to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction and foster an effective international nonproliferation regime.

In 2015, we joined Cyprus as members of the Proliferation Security Initiative in cohosting a regional nonproliferation workshop focusing on inspecting and identifying proliferation material. We are also joining Cyprus in providing more secure sources of domestic energy for Cyprus and all of Europe.

American companies are playing a valuable role in energy exploration activities in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone in order to help provide Europe with potential alternatives to Russian gas and oil. Yet, despite this critical partnership between our two countries, the United States has had in place an arms embargo against the island of Cyprus since 1987.

This policy was initially intended to prevent an arms race on the island with Turkey, following Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus and its subsequent occupation of the northern territory, in order to provide space for reunification talks. However, more than 30 years since the embargo was first implemented, Turkey still has more than 30,000 troops occupying the northern territory of Cyprus, reunification talks have not produced intended results, and the U.S. is unable to maintain a full security relationship with a key partner in combating terrorism.

On top of this, Turkey continues to threaten Cyprus' energy exploration by continually harassing drilling vessels in the EEZ. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Wess Mitchell, has said that this harassment cannot be tolerated.

We need to enact policies that strengthen our relationship with Cyprus and counteract dangerous elements in the region which threaten our national security interests and the interests of our allies in the eastern Mediterranean.

Last year, I introduced legislation to lift the three-decade-old embargo on Cyprus, which would allow us to strengthen the partnership that we have built with the Republic of Cyprus. Our inability to provide Cyprus with necessary equipment needed to defend its sovereignty and its economic interests threatens our own national security.

Lifting the arms embargo will allow Cyprus to better establish itself as a frontline state for Western security interests, defend itself from external threats, and ensure Cyprus is no longer forced to seek assistance for its defense from countries like Russia. Cyprus is an invaluable partner, and we need to make sure that we are treating it as such.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for organizing this opportunity to highlight the importance of the U.S.-Cypriot relationship, and I look forward to working with them, with our State Department, and with the Cypriot Government to continue to partner in important ways.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island for those remarks. He is a great advocate for Cyprus.

Cyprus is a great partner, a great strategic ally, and will continue to be. We wanted to highlight that this evening, and I think we have.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

____________________

SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 164, No. 125

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