Chairman of the Greek Parliament Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs Konstantinos Vrettos meets with members of Congress and House Foreign Affairs Committee during recent visit to Washington

The Chairman of the National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Greek Parliament visited Washington, DC, March 14 through March 16, 2011.

Chairman Konstantinos Vrettos met with several members of Congress, including Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinin (R-FL), Shelley Berkley (D-Nevada), John Sarbanes (D-Maryland), Gregory Meeks (D-New York), Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).

Mr. Vrettos’s counterpart in the House of Representatives, Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinin, graciously convened a special meeting of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Subcommittee on Europe & Eurasia members to meet with him.

This meeting provided a forum and a positive environment for Mr. Vrettos to discuss issues not only of interest to Greece, but also to the United States and the international community. One such issue was sea piracy, where Greece is making valuable contributions.

The Committee members and Chairman Vrettos reached the concrete decision to enhance relations between the U.S. Congress and the Greek Parliament, towards a more productive and effective friendship. In this context, Chairman Vrettos assured members of the Committee that he and the Speaker of the Greek Parliament will soon be extending invitations to members of the U.S. Congress to visit Greece.

Mr. Vrettos’s contacts at the U. S. Congress included his participation at a Legislative Breakfast organized by B’Nai B’rith in honor of Members of Congress of the Jewish faith. In his remarks at the breakfast, Mr. Vrettos noted the enhanced relationship between the states of Israel and Greece and the pursuit of projects of mutual interest to both countries, also emphasizing the strengthened bonds of friendship between Jewish American and Greek American organizations.

Furthermore, Konstantinos Vrettos met with members of the Greek American community, at an event hosted by the American Hellenic Institute.