Sean Patrick Maloney: “Mr. Speaker, once again, as I have every year that I have been a Member of Congress, it is my honor and sad privilege to…”

“Mr. Speaker, once again, as I have every year that I have been a Member of Congress, it is my honor and sad privilege to stand with the gentleman from Florida and remember and commemorate the 23d anniversary of the 1974 illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The continued presence of Turkish troops represents a growing violation of human rights and international law. On the positive side, I am pleased with the success that the gentleman in Florida and I have had in the formation of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues last year. We now have 62 Members from both parties and from all regions of the country. Democrats, Republicans, liberals, and conservatives have all joined together to pursue our common objectives of justice, human rights, and stronger ties between the United States and its strong democratic allies, Cyprus and Greece. Earlier this year, many of the members of the Hellenic Caucus joined us in signing a letter to the President to stop the sale of Seahawk helicopters. We were successful. No helicopters were sold to Turkey. Over the last week, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright mitigated a nonaggression pact with the Foreign Minister of Greece and the Foreign Minister of Turkey. Now that Greece and Turkey have come to a peaceful agreement, it will allow the focus to be concentrated on a more peaceful solution, hopefully, in Cyprus.”