Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida) on Wednesday led a Special Order in the House of Representatives to highlight the role of Cyprus as a valuable partner and strategic ally for the U.S.
The Greek American Congressman was joined with his fellow co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Affairs, Representative Carolyn Maloney and advocate of the Republic of Cyprus and Greece, Representative David Cicilline.
Bilirakis provided an update on Cyprus, stressing its role as one of the United States’ most important allies in the Mediterranean. He stressed that Cyprus is “serving as an unwavering U.S. ally by promoting regional stability, energy security, and counterterrorism efforts.”
“Along with Greece, it (Cyprus) has spearheaded efforts to create trilateral cooperation mechanisms with moderate countries of the region including: Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon in creating trilateral cooperation mechanisms. This initiative has been one of the most successful developments of the past decade,” the Greek American Congressman said.
The Special Order followed the trip to the U.S. last month by a delegation from the Cypriot banking sector, including senior executives from the Central Bank of Cyprus and the Association of Cyprus Banks (representatives from Bank of Cyprus, Eurobank, and Hellenic Bank).
During meetings in Washington, D.C. and New York, the delegation met with Bilirakis as well as with other elected officials, global banking institutions, industry regulators, and financial journalists.
The group updated these important audiences on the extensive anti–money laundering and counter–terrorist financing compliance reforms that have been implemented by Cyprus and its banks since the financial crisis as well as on their enhanced level of economic and regulatory cooperation with other countries.
