Dozens of Senators and Members of Congress with jurisdiction over the formulation of policy toward Cyprus, Turkey and Greece, and key Administration officials, met with Greek-American leaders from across the country and around the world. Also, the heads of President Barack Obama’s and Mitt Romney’s Presidential Campaigns in Washington, DC, Republican National Committee Chairman, Reince Priebus (a Greek American), who was honored at the conference banquet with the Livanos Award, and Democratic National Committee Chair, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-FL), addressed and met with conference participants.

“We need to step up our efforts as a community,” said PSEKA President Philip Christopher in an interview with NEO. “The circle of people that participate at fundraisings and meetings with elected officials must be amplified and that has to happen from now until November.” He also expressed his frustration when Greeks whom he calls for help, stick in partisan politics, missing the bigger picture. “I asked a major political donor from New York to throw a fundraiser for Senator Menendez, the champion for our issues, and he told me that he’s too liberal! Then another powerful individual goes out of his way to support his favorite senator, but when it comes to help our other friends in Congress, he’s very reluctant! We need to understand that we can’t afford the luxury of being too picky. The Turks are continuing the destruction of the occupied Cyprus, they threaten Greece in the Aegean, FYROM has become more intransigent and Greece is in disarray. We need to act and help as much as we can because we are Greek-Americans first and then Democrats or Republicans.”

Coordinated Effort of Hellenes (CEH) leaders, as the conference organizing group is called, worked with key Senators and Members of Congress to launch a number of major legislative and other policy-related initiatives during this conference. On June 5th, two senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Europe and Eurasia Subcommittee, Congressmen Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), introduced H. Res. 676 which is titled: “To expose and halt the Republic of Turkey's illegal colonization of the Republic of Cyprus with non-Cypriot populations, to support Cyprus in its efforts to control all of its territory, to end Turkey's illegal occupation of northern Cyprus, and to exploit its energy resources without illegal interference by Turkey.” All 33 Members of Congress who met with conference participants were asked to cosponsor this resolution.

On June 6, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) – a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), introduced this resolution in the US Senate as S. Con. Res. 47, and all 9 US Seanators who met with conference participants were asked to cosponsor this resolution.

On June 7, the House Foreign Affairs Committee considered Congressman Gus Bilirakis’ resolution, H. Res. 506, which “calls upon the Government of Turkey to facilitate the reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological School of Halki without condition or further delay.” Before the Committee met that day, the Committee’s Chairman and Ranking Member, as well as the Europe Subcommittee’s Ranking Member met with conference participants. That morning a total of 13 Committee members met with conference participants. In the end, the Foreign Affairs Committee passed this resolution.

Also on June 5, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to President Barack Obama expressing great concern regarding Turkey’s recent treatment of Cyprus. Among other things, Senator Menendez called for “a thorough re-evaluation of US policy toward the region… [following Turkey’s] confrontational stance with respect to Cyprus and Israel that threatens US interests and stability in this crucial region.” This letter to President Obama followed a letter sent by the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA), to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on March 22.

After leaving post of US Ambassador to Cyprus empty for over one year, the White House announced on the first day of the conference (June 6) that President Obama was nominating John Koenig to be the next US Ambassador to Cyprus.

A total of 33 Members of Congress – many of whom serve on Committees that control Congressional policy toward Cyprus, Turkey and Greece – met with leaders at this conference. In addition, almost 10% of the entire US Senate showed up, including Assistant Senate Majority Leader, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) – who is also close to President Obama, a member of the Senate European Affairs Subcommittee and a member of the House Appropriations Committee’s State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee; Half of the members of the European Affairs Subcommittee, including its Chairman, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and all but one of its majority members; Over 1/3rd of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including senior member and champion for all Hellenic and Orthodox issues in the US Senate, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ).

At the conference banquet, the American Jewish Committee was honored with the prestigious Frizis Award. It is named after Mordechai Frizis, the Jewish Greek hero who was the first high ranking Greek military officer to give his life in defense of freedom against the Axis Powers in 1940. It is awarded each year to a prominent member of the Jewish community in the U.S. who has made significant contributions to Hellenic issues. The award was received by American Jewish Committee Director of Government and International Affairs, Jason Isaacson.

Others honored at the conference included the following Greek-American community leaders: Honorary National Chairman of UHAC and Honorary World President of SAE, Andrew A. Athens – who was presented with the Paraskevaides Award and introduced by Assistant Senate Majority Leader, Richard Durbin (D-IL); Executive Vice President of the Pancyprian Association of America, Nikos Mouyiaris and Cypriot-American leader, Dinos Iordanou.