News Release

AHEPA Raises Concerns about
FYROM Article in State Department Publication

WASHINGTON - The largest and oldest membership-based association for the nation's three million American citizens of Greek heritage, and countless Philhellenes, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), raised concern today to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton about State Magazine's April 2010 cover story of by Stephanie Rowlands titled, "Skopje, Ancient Macedonia builds modern democracy," announced National President Nicholas A. Karacostas.

"Our primary concern with Ms. Rowlands' article is that its content will only further bolster FYROM's intransigence in the quest to find a mutually-agreeable solution to its name under U.N.-sponsored negotiations with Greece," Karacostas said. "Furthermore, the article describes FYROM as a tolerant nation. Anyone who followed the events of spring 2008, when billboards in Skopje depicted defaced Greek flags with a Nazi swastika in place of the Cross, would know otherwise."

State Magazine serves as a conduit of information between State Department management and employees that provides the latter with the latest developments in administrative policies, procedures or trends within the department.

He continued, "Perhaps the cover story is an attempt to spotlight a diplomatic post to help Foreign Service officers who may be potentially stationed there. Unfortunately, we contend the author misinforms them, and in the process, does a disservice to United States interests in the region."

To read AHEPA's letter, please click here.

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AHEPA is the largest Greek-American association in the world with chapters in the United States, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, and sister chapters in Australia and New Zealand. It was established in 1922 by visionary Greek Americans to protect Hellenes from prejudice originating from the KKK, and in its history, AHEPA joined with the NAACP and B'nai B'rith International to fight discrimination.

The mission of the AHEPA family is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility and family and individual excellence through community service and volunteerism.

For more information about the AHEPA family, or how to join, please contact AHEPA Headquarters, (202) 232-6300, or visit www.ahepa.org.