US presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden expressed his commitment to “call out Turkish behavior that is in violation of international law or that contravenes its commitments as a NATO ally,” in a statement released by his campaign office yesterday on his vision for Greek Americans and US-Greek relations.
He also noted that he has “long opposed the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus and supported a comprehensive settlement to reunify the island.”
The statement further underscored that Biden “recently called on the Trump administration to press Turkey to refrain from further provocative actions in the region against Greece, including threats of force.”
As the US presidential elections enter the final stretch, the Democratic candidate talks of his commitment to a:
“strong dialogue with both Greek-American leaders and the leadership of Greece to sustain the bond between our countries” and to “advance stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
His Statement and what Joe Biden has done on the issues dear to Greek Americans, throughout his political life:
● As Vice President, Joe Biden took the lead in urging that the U.S. government support Greece during its financial crisis, working closely with European leaders and the International Monetary Fund to ensure that Greece got a fair deal.
● Joe has long opposed the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus and supported a comprehensive settlement to reunify the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality. In 2014, he visited the island, the first sitting Vice President to do so in more than 50 years, and led White House diplomatic engagement on the Cyprus question.
● Joe recently called on the Trump Administration to press Turkey to refrain from further provocative actions in the region against Greece, including threats of force.
● Joe has long been a strong supporter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and given unwavering support for the ability of the Patriarchate to function in its role as the center of the Greek Orthodox Church. He treasures his visit in 2011 to the Patriarchate and each of his meetings with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. He has called on Turkey to permit the reopening of the Halki Seminary and criticized the recent decision of the Turkish government to convert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
● Joe Biden has always been a friend of the Greek-American community, in Delaware and around the country. He is grateful for the longstanding support of the community.
● Biden was humbled to receive the Oxi Day Foundation’s highest honor in 2016, and the Athenagoras Human Rights Award in 2015.
In regards to what Biden will do as President of the United States of America, the campaign statement says:
● Joe Biden will work with our close ally Greece to advance stability in the eastern Mediterranean.
● Unlike President Trump, Joe will call out Turkish behavior that is in violation of
international law or that contravenes its commitments as a NATO ally, such as Turkish violations of Greek airspace .
● Joe will work diplomatically to bring a resolution to the Cyprus question.
● Joe will continue to be a strong voice for religious freedom globally, including the rights of the Greek Orthodox Church
With some information from: – Kathimerini –
