[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 547 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 547
Recognizing the 201st anniversary of Greek Independence and celebrating
democracy in Greece and the United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 15, 2022
Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Reed, Ms.
Duckworth, Mr. Casey, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Carper, Mr.
Murphy, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Markey, Ms. Stabenow, Mr.
Coons, Mr. Young, Mr. Booker, Mr. Cruz, Ms. Warren, Mr. Peters, Ms.
Hassan, Mr. King, Mr. Cardin, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Wyden, Mrs. Feinstein,
Mr. Brown, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Braun, Mr. Scott
of Florida, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Capito,
Mr. Rounds, Mr. Portman, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Cornyn, Mr.
Toomey, Mr. Padilla, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Cortez Masto, and Mr.
Schumer) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
March 28, 2022
Reported by Mr. Menendez, without amendment
March 30, 2022
Considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 201st anniversary of Greek Independence and celebrating
democracy in Greece and the United States.
Whereas the concept of democracy, in which the supreme power to govern was
vested in the people, was developed in ancient Greece;
Whereas the founding fathers of the United States were inspired by ancient Greek
political philosophy, which many of them read in the original Greek
language, when they formed the representative democracy of the United
States;
Whereas Petros Mavromichalis, the former Commander in Chief of Greece and a
founder of the modern Greek State, said to the citizens of the United
States in 1821, ``It is in your land that liberty has fixed her abode
and . . . in imitating you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be
thought worthy of them if we succeed in resembling you'';
Whereas Thomas Jefferson wrote, in an October 21, 1823, letter to Greek scholar
Adamantios Koraes discussing the ongoing Greek struggle for
independence, that ``[n]o people sympathise more feelingly than ours
with the sufferings of your countrymen, none offer more sincere and
ardent prayers to heaven for their success'';
Whereas then-Congressman Daniel Webster, on January 19, 1824, in a speech in
support of his resolution to send an American envoy to Greece amid its
struggle for independence, recognized ``the struggle of an interesting
and gallant people . . . contending against fearful odds, for being, and
for the common privilege of human nature'';
Whereas American Philhellenes, including future abolitionist Dr. Samuel Gridley
Howe, future abolitionist Jonathan Peckham Miller, and George Jarvis,
traveled to Greece to fight alongside and provide aid to the Greek
people in their struggle for independence;
Whereas the people of the United States generously sent humanitarian assistance
to the people of Greece during their struggle for independence, often
through Philhellene committees;
Whereas Greece heroically resisted Axis forces at a crucial moment in World War
II, forcing Adolf Hitler to change his timeline and delaying the attack
on Russia;
Whereas Winston Churchill said that ``if there had not been the virtue and
courage of the Greeks, we do not know which the outcome of World War II
would have been'' and ``no longer will we say that Greeks fight like
heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks'';
Whereas the United States and Greece have been allies in major international
conflicts throughout modern history;
Whereas the Greek-American community has positively contributed to American
society and has helped forge strong ties between the United States and
Greece;
Whereas the United States greatly contributed to the reconstruction of Greece
after World War II;
Whereas NATO membership has further enhanced cooperation between the United
States and Greece;
Whereas Greece is an integral part of the European Union;
Whereas Greece is a strategic partner of the United States in bringing political
stability and economic development to the Balkan region, having actively
contributed to the Euro-Atlantic integration of the countries of the
region and having been a major investor in Southeastern Europe,
including in critical infrastructure;
Whereas Greece participates in and actively promotes several formats for
regional partnership in the Eastern Mediterranean;
Whereas the United States has demonstrated its support for the trilateral
partnership of Greece, Israel, and Cyprus by enacting into law the
Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 (title
II of division J of Public Law 116-94) and through joint engagement with
Greece, Israel, and Cyprus in the ``3+1'' format;
Whereas this support was bolstered in the United States-Greece Defense and
Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021 (subtitle B of title XIII of
Public Law 117-81), establishing a 3+1 Interparliamentary Group to
discuss the expansion of co-operation in other areas of common concern;
Whereas the United States and Greece's commitment to security cooperation led to
the conclusion of a Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement, which was
updated in 2021 in order to enhance defense ties between the two
countries and promote stability in the broader region;
Whereas the ongoing United States-Greece Strategic Dialogue reflects Greece's
importance to the United States as a geostrategic partner, especially in
the Eastern Mediterranean and Balkans, and as an important NATO ally;
Whereas the Governments and people of Greece and the United States are at the
forefront of international efforts to advance freedom, democracy, rule
of law, human rights, peace, and stability;
Whereas those efforts and similar ideals have forged a close bond between the
peoples of Greece and the United States; and
Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to celebrate March 25,
2022, Greek Independence Day, with the people of Greece and to reaffirm
the democratic principles from which those two great countries were
founded: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) extends warm congratulations and best wishes to the
people of Greece as they celebrate the 201st anniversary of the
independence of Greece;
(2) expresses support for the principles of democratic
governance to which the people of the United States and Greece
are committed;
(3) notes the important role that Greece has played in the
wider European region and in the community of nations since
gaining its independence;
(4) commends the contributions of the Greek-American
community to the United States and its role as a bridge between
the two countries;
(5) commends the critical role Greece plays in promoting
stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans; and
(6) appreciates the important energy partnership that
exists between the United States and Greece, and the important
role that Greece plays in bolstering European energy security.
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