A "Congressional Hellenic-Israel Alliance" (CHIA) headed by Republican Gus Bilirakis and Democrat Ted Deutsch -both representatives from Florida- was launched on February 13, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington D.C.

The Alliance is a forum that aims to highlight the critical importance of relationships between these countries and the United States for economic stability and national security.

In addition to the House Representatives participating in the Caucus, the Ambassadors of Greece and Israel, and the Charge D’ Affaires of Cyprus to Washington, DC, as well as leaders of the Greek and Israeli Diaspora also attended the event.

Greece’s ambassador to the U.S., Christos Panagopoulos, stressed that the creation of CHIA reflects the growing cooperation  among the three countries - Greece, Israel and Cyprus- pointing out the opportunities that appear, particularly in energy and tourism.