[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1142 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1142
Recognizing 100 years of diplomatic relations between the United States
and the Baltic States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 27, 2022
Mr. Bacon (for himself and Mr. Gallego) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing 100 years of diplomatic relations between the United States
and the Baltic States.
Whereas the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania originally declared
their independence in 1918;
Whereas, in 1920, Soviet Russia signed treaties with Estonia, Latvia, and
Lithuania recognizing their sovereignty and renouncing all territorial
claims over each Baltic State in perpetuity;
Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations with Estonia, Latvia,
and Lithuania as independent countries on July 28, 1922, and the United
States and the Baltic States have grown strong as partners for the past
century;
Whereas, on August 23, 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which contained a secret protocol dividing
Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, with the Baltic States
ultimately being assigned to the Soviet Union, leading soon after to the
forcible incorporation of the Baltic States into the Soviet Union;
Whereas following World War II, the Soviet Union forcibly occupied the Baltic
States, imposing its model of Soviet totalitarianism for more than 5
decades;
Whereas the United States never recognized the illegal occupation of Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania by the Soviet Union, instead maintaining 100 years
of continuous diplomatic relations with the Baltic States;
Whereas, in August 1989, approximately 2,000,000 people joined hands in Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania to form a 373-mile human chain across the 3 States
known as the Baltic Chain of Freedom;
Whereas, in February 1990, the people of Lithuania participated in the first
free election to select a new parliament, which promptly voted to
restore independence, making Lithuania the first occupied Soviet
republic to declare independence on March 11, 1990, a move subsequently
followed by Latvia on May 4, 1990, and Estonia on August 20, 1991;
Whereas, in January 1991, Soviet military forces tried to quash the growing
independence restoration movement, leading to approximately 14
Lithuanian deaths, 6 Latvian deaths, and many injuries;
Whereas, in February and March 1991, the people of Lithuania, Estonia, and
Latvia voted overwhelmingly in support of their respective independence
restoration referendums, which the United States recognized later that
year;
Whereas the Baltic States helped pave the path for democracy and freedom across
Eastern Europe, leading to the fall of the Soviet Union;
Whereas after the restoration of independence, the economies of Estonia, Latvia,
and Lithuania emerged as modern market economies leading in technology
and financial services sectors;
Whereas Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania continue to demonstrate their commitment
to advancing democratic values, peace, and security through their
membership and active participation in the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO), the European Union, and the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development;
Whereas the Baltic States have been loyal NATO allies, contributing to regional
and global security through operations in Afghanistan and leadership in
the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Estonia, the
NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Latvia, and the
NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence in Lithuania;
Whereas the Baltic States contribute to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area
by spending at least 2 percent of gross domestic product for defense and
to global security through determined participation in international
allied operations and missions;
Whereas Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were among the first countries to
participate in the National Guard State Partnership Program with the
Maryland, Michigan, and Pennsylvania National Guards, respectively, and,
since 1993, have provided additional opportunities to enhance military
readiness and interoperability between the United States and Baltic
forces;
Whereas, in 2019, the United States and the Baltic States signed the Security
Cooperation Roadmaps, outlining joint security cooperation priorities
from 2019 to 2024;
Whereas the Baltic States are actively involved in security assistance,
promotion of democracy, and protection of human rights across Eastern
Europe, including in Ukraine and Belarus, in the face of aggression and
an increase of troops in Belarus by the Russian Federation and the
manipulation of the migrant crisis in Europe by the Lukashenko regime;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has pursued an aggressive
campaign of intimidation against the Baltic States including the
repeated violation of the sovereign airspace with military aircraft, and
the harassment of government officials, private citizens, and military
personnel stationed in Europe and abroad through disinformation,
propaganda, and other cyberattacks;
Whereas since the restoration of independence, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
have faced persistent aggression, intimidation, and cyberattacks from
the Russian Federation and, as a result, have worked to shape total
defense strategies to counter intervention by the Russian Federation;
Whereas after building trade ties with Taiwan, the Government of Lithuania has
faced severe economic and diplomatic coercion from the People's Republic
of China including a discriminatory and illegal customs blockade on
products from Lithuania and imports containing Lithuanian parts,
prompting the European Union to formally refer the matter to the World
Trade Organization as a violation of international trade rules;
Whereas, on January 24, 2022, the Secretary of Defense put 8,500 members of the
United States Armed Forces on high alert for potential deployment to
Eastern Europe as part of a NATO response force in reaction to Russia's
destabilizing military force deployments in Belarus, along Russia's
border with Ukraine, and in the Black Sea;
Whereas, on February 22, 2022, in response to the illegal invasion of Ukraine by
Russian air, land, and naval forces, the President of the United States
ordered the rapid deployment of an infantry battalion task force, F-35
fighter aircraft, and AH-64 attack helicopters to uphold NATO security
commitments to the Baltic States;
Whereas support for the Baltic States by the United States remains a crucial
factor for countering military, economic, and diplomatic coercion by the
Governments of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, and the
People's Republic of China, and complements the efforts of NATO to
strengthen its deterrence and defense posture, including enhanced
forward presence in the eastern part of the NATO alliance;
Whereas the Baltic States have been models of democratic governance with strong
institutions and respect for civil liberties and the rule of law, which
are cherished shared values between the Baltic States and the United
States; and
Whereas since the restoration of independence, the democratic and economic
development and progress of the Baltic States has established Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania as 3 shining beacons of freedom: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes 100 years of continuous diplomatic relations
between the United States and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania;
(2) looks forward to strengthening diplomatic relations
between the Baltic States and the United States;
(3) recognizes the courage and resilience of the people of
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in their fight for freedom and
democracy in the face of persistent coercion, intimidation, and
aggressive behavior by the Russian Federation;
(4) stands in solidarity with the Baltic States against all
forms of economic, diplomatic, or military coercion by the
Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the People's
Republic of China, and other authoritarian governments;
(5) commits to providing continued support for the Baltic
States through economic and security cooperation, including
through the Baltic Security Initiative, and further
strengthening transatlantic ties and regional security through
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and
(6) affirms its desire that the next 100 years of
friendship between the Baltic States and the United States
continue to build on the positive achievements and progress
made since the Baltic States restored their independence.
<all>