WASHINGTON, DC – American Hellenic Institute (AHI) President Nick Larigakis wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the eve of his visit to Turkey to meet exclusively with His-All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to discuss religious freedom.

President Larigakis thanked Secretary Pompeo for meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch. He shared AHI’s policy positions on religious freedom in Turkey that, if acted upon, will demonstrate the United States’ strong stance on religious freedom.  

“The Turkish government’s tolerance of assaults upon Greek Orthodox Christian community, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and all religious minorities are further examples of how Turkey is a habitual violator of the rule of law in addition to Turkey’s aggressive and provocative acts in the Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean, and Middle East,” Larigakis writes. “Turkey must implement and strictly enforce the guarantees of religious freedom and human and minority rights set forth in the Treaty of Lausanne, the UN Charter, and U.S. laws, including IFRA.

Larigakis added that Secretary Pompeo’s visit raises awareness of the plight of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and underscores the importance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to addressing religious freedom and tolerance around the world.

AHI’s letter to Secretary Pompeo is available online: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59bbffe14c326d363fa7659c/t/5fad59b024c06f537375c0de/1605196211403/AHI+Letter+To+Secretary+of+State++Pompeo.pdf.

The American Hellenic Institute is a non-profit Greek American public policy center and think tank that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community.

More information is available online: http://www.ahiworld.org.