Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis honored US Congressman Gus Bilirakis with the prestigious Grand Commander of the Order of the Phoenix Award.
The Order of the Phoenix, first established in 1926, is awarded to Greeks who have distinguished themselves in the fields of public administration, science, commerce, industry, shipping, and the arts & letters.
It is also conferred on foreigners who have contributed to enhancing Greece’s stature abroad in the aforementioned fields.
During his tenure in the United States Congress, Representative Bilirakis has served as an unwavering leader in nourishing the special bond between the US and some of its most steadfast allies in the Mediterranean to thwart existential threats from bad actors in the region.
Bilirakis: Honored to receive this award from Greece
Bilirakis serves as the Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Affairs and the founding Co-Chair of the Congressional Hellenic Israel Alliance (CHIA).
In this capacity, he co-authored the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act and the US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act, which were both signed into law.
The laws strengthened the defense partnership between the United States and Greece, by supporting Greek military modernization and multilateral security efforts between Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the United States.
“As the grandson of Greek immigrants, I am proud to be one of nearly two million Americans who are fortunate enough to be able to claim Greek ancestry,” Bilirakis said.
“As the birthplace of democracy, Greece’s long and rich heritage has greatly influenced Western philosophy and democratic political systems around the globe. For more than two centuries, the modern Greek state has promoted liberty, peace, and human rights and has played a critical role as an ally of the United States and a steadfast NATO partner in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“As a proud Greek American, inspired by my heritage, I am honored to receive this award and will continue my work to ensure mutual peace and prosperity for both our nations,” added Congressman Bilirakis.
Bilirakis and Greek-American members of Congress meet Greece’s Mitsotakis
On the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington Mitsotakis met Greek-American members of Congress, Chris Pappas (NH-01), Dina Titus (NV-01), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), John Sarbanes (MD-03) and Gus Bilirakis (FL-12).
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis released the following statement regarding her meeting with Prime Minister Mitsotakis in Washington, DC: “Today, I joined my Greek-American House colleagues in welcoming Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Washington, and enjoyed a productive discussion on the issues affecting Greece and the strong relationship between Greece and the United States.
“I was pleased to hear that the relationship between Greece and Turkey is improving, that there have been no violations of Greece’s airspace by Turkey in 18 months, and that Turkey has also been cooperating on issues of migration.
“This is obviously credited to the strong leadership of Prime Minister Mitsotakis and his cabinet, as well as the work we have done as Members of Congress to put pressure on Turkey to stop its military flights over the Greek islands,” Malliotakis said.
