Greek American Congresswoman Dina Titus spoke to Greek Reporter about the upcoming U.S. election, Greece-Turkey relations, NATO and the thorny Cyprus issue.
The world spotlight is on the crucial U.S. election on November 5. Much is at stake as the two wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have the rest of the world on edge.
Whether the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris or her GOP opponent Republican Donald Trump wins, the role of the new U.S. administration in January 2025 will be of utmost importance in the delicate balance between peace and escalation.
In light of the recent support of Hamas in the Israel-Hamas war, one wonders why the United States is maintaining a constructive engagement policy with Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proven to be an unreliable ally at times. Especially when he poses a moral hazard for other allies like Greece or Cyprus.
Furthermore, there is a violation of the CAATSA Act with regard to the Russian S-400 missiles and the reengagement by the Biden administration in bringing Turkey back into the F-35 program.
The U.S. Congresswoman agreed that it is an issue that “should be concerning to Greece and Cyprus. It’s concerning to me because Erdogan is not a reliable ally. And in fact, he’s more of a menace.
“He’s cozied up to dictators. He is a dictator himself. His latest thing was praising or sending sympathy for the killing of the leader of Hamas and saying ‘we should invade Israel,'” the Congresswoman said. And she continued:
“So if he’s willing to do that, you know, he’s not going to back off of his position with the Cyprus division issue or the attacks he kind of makes, whether they’re military or not, in the Aegean against the airspace and that sort of thing where Greece is involved,” meaning the Greek airspace violations by Turkish fighter jets.
“We were very much opposed to Turkey getting the F-16s, but at least Greece has the F-35s, which are better and stronger. We want to be sure that the administration doesn’t go down the road of bringing Turkey back into the F-35 program, and that’s going to be the challenge in the next administration.”
The 50-year-old Cyprus issue
It has been 50 years since Turkey invaded Cyprus, now occupying a large portion of the island with a sizable military force. The Turkish-occupied zone is a pseudo-state that no other nation recognizes.
Varosha and Famagusta are two cities that, according to a 1984 United Nations resolution, cannot be resettled– yet, Turks have been resettling those localities. There have been protests, but there hasn’t been any concrete action to stop the resettlement. It is an issue that the Hellenic caucus should act on.
“Well, you know, the talks about resettlement and reunification wane and wax over time,” Ms. Titus said. “Sometimes they’re going well, sometimes not. Right now, they’re not going so well.
“I think that is something that the caucus could look into, at least writing a letter calling on the administration to ask NATO to do something or ask the United Nations to do something and to look into it to be sure that they don’t just totally ignore the resolution and move back into the area,” the Greek American Congresswoman said.
U.S. – Greece relations in light of the election
The Democratic Congresswoman also spoke of the relations between Greece and the United States and their military alliance in NATO:
“We have a strong relationship with Greece. We’ve invested a lot in defense with Greece. We’ve also helped to negotiate a number of energy contracts with Greece,” Ms. Titus said.
“And I would say also, look at what Donald Trump says about our allies. Greece is a southern point kind of tip of NATO. Donald Trump wants to just get rid of NATO. He doesn’t care. He told Russia, do whatever you want to. It doesn’t matter to me. He’s very transactional.”
Congresswoman Titus also added about the Republican candidate: “He doesn’t have any kind of respect for long-term allies. And Greece is certainly one of our longest and strongest allies in that region. So I would say think in terms of foreign policy when you’re looking at U.S. relations with Greece, but also think in terms of domestic policy.”
“I think the Greek American community here has a lot of small business, a lot of investments that will prosper from a Harris administration that will just be left to the sidelines by a Trump administration that only cares about billionaires. So I think all in all, Greece and Greek Americans will prosper under a Harris administration.”
Who is Dina Titus
Originally born in Georgia to parents of Greek descent and a family with a political background, Dina Titus has represented Nevada’s 1st Congressional District since 2013.
The district includes much of Las Vegas. The Greek American Congresswoman has an extensive political past, having previously represented Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives between 2009 and 2011, and prior to that, serving in the Nevada Senate between 1993 and 2009, representing Clark County’s 7th District. In the state Senate, she rose to become the body’s minority leader.
Titus has also enjoyed a long career as an academic. After getting her start at North Texas State University, she went on to teach political science courses in American and Nevada government at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) for 30 years. Titus founded and continues to coordinate UNLV’s Legislative Internship Program.
Of note for the Greek American community, Titus is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Congressional Hellenic Caucus. She is also a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Congressional Arts Caucus, and the United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus.
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