Ambassador Ronald Schlicher celebrated Thanksgiving with approximately 60 friends of the United States on November 15. In his speech Ambassador Schlicher described the history of Thanksgiving dating from 1621, when the Wampanoag Native Americans provided food and assistance to enable the Pilgrims to survive the winter. In 1864, in the middle of one of the darkest periods in American history, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday.

Ambassador Schlicher expressed thanks for the ties that bind Cypriots to Americans, for the common values - particularly a dedication to the ideals of freedom and democracy, and to the Cyprus American Association for advancing the ties of friendship and cooperation that exist between the U.S. and Cyprus. Ambassador Schlicher expressed the hope that we would soon move closer to the goal of a unified Cyprus living in harmony.