[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 342 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 342
Congratulating the people of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic
on the 30th anniversary of their independence and recognizing their
substantial support to Ukraine against Russian aggression.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 14, 2023
Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Ricketts)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Congratulating the people of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic
on the 30th anniversary of their independence and recognizing their
substantial support to Ukraine against Russian aggression.
Whereas, on January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson called for the free
``autonomous development'' of the peoples of Austria-Hungary in the
``Fourteen Points'' address to a joint session of Congress, contributing
to the support of an independent Czech and Slovak nation State;
Whereas the peoples of the present-day Czech Republic and Slovak Republic
proclaimed independence on October 28, 1918, and October 30, 1918,
respectively, forming the common state of the Republic of
Czechoslovakia;
Whereas, on November 12, 1918, the United States and Czechoslovakia established
formal diplomatic relations;
Whereas, in February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia seized power
from the democratically elected Government of Czechoslovakia;
Whereas, on August 20, 1968, 20 Soviet and Warsaw Pact military divisions
invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague Spring, a period of increased
political and economic liberty following the appointment of Alexander
Dubcek as First Secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party;
Whereas, in the nonviolent Velvet Revolution of November 1989, the peoples of
both nations overthrew 40 years of totalitarian communist rule and ended
two decades of Soviet occupation;
Whereas, after the Velvet Revolution, the peoples of Czechoslovakia established
vibrant, pluralistic, democratic political systems based on free-market
economics, freedom of speech, a free press, free and fair elections, the
rule of law, and respect for human rights--values embodied by Vaclav
Havel, the first president of Czechoslovakia after the fall of communism
in that country;
Whereas, on February 21, 1990, Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel delivered his
historic address before the joint session of the United States Congress
on Czechoslovakia's path to democracy;
Whereas, on January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic were
formally created as independent nation states after the peaceful
dissolution of Czechoslovakia;
Whereas the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, owing to substantial support
from the United States, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) on March 12, 1999, and March 29, 2004, respectively, and have
made significant contributions to collective defense and the operations
of NATO as well as international coalitions led by the United States
around the world;
Whereas the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic continue to demonstrate their
strong commitment to advancing democracy, free trade, respect for human
rights, international peace and security, and the rules-based
international order through their membership in the European Union and
other international organizations;
Whereas the peoples of the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak
Republic have forged a special relationship based on their shared
historic ties, mutual respect, close cooperation, and the shared values
of democracy, free trade, respect for human rights, international peace
and security, and the rules-based international order;
Whereas, in 2023, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic are celebrating the
30th anniversary of the National Guard State Partnership Program with
the National Guards of Texas, Nebraska, and Indiana, a program which has
contributed to military readiness and interoperability between the
United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic;
Whereas the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic stand
united in support of the people and Government of Ukraine against
Russia's unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; and
Whereas the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic are major
contributors to political, humanitarian, economic, and military
assistance to Ukraine: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commends the peoples of the Czech Republic and the
Slovak Republic for overthrowing totalitarian communist rule in
1989 and asserting their right to self-determination and
affirming their allegiance to the values of democracy, free-
market economics, and respect for human rights through the
peaceful, nonviolent Velvet Revolution;
(2) celebrates the lasting contributions of the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic to science, the arts, culture,
music, literature, politics, trade, and international affairs;
(3) applauds the achievements of the Czech Republic and the
Slovak Republic in building free, open, democratic, and
prosperous societies over the past 30 years;
(4) congratulates the peoples of the Czech Republic and the
Slovak Republic on the 30th anniversary of their independence
and the 105th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the
United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic;
(5) congratulates the Czech Republic and the Slovak
Republic for their leadership in the European Union;
(6) expresses gratitude for the solidarity of the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic as they stand in solidarity
with the people of Ukraine in their fight against Russia's
brutal, unprovoked, and illegal invasion;
(7) reaffirms the historical and transnational ties that
bind together the countries and peoples of the Czech Republic,
the Slovak Republic, and the United States as freedom-loving
peoples and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
(8) recognizes the importance of the United States, the
Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic partnership, as long-
standing partners and as NATO allies, in addressing common
threats and challenges, including in the areas of climate
change, energy security, advanced technologies, cyber security,
and resilience to disinformation and hybrid threats;
(9) applauds the commitment of the Czech Republic and the
Slovak Republic to spend two percent of their gross domestic
products on defense by 2024, an important commitment they have
made as NATO allies; and
(10) expresses the United States commitment to further
strengthen transatlantic ties and regional security through
NATO, supports a faster pace of modernization of the Czech and
Slovak armed forces in light of the clear threat to
transatlantic peace and security posed by Russia's aggression
in Ukraine, and reaffirms commitment to continue working to
address new and emerging threats to our security, including the
People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and other
authoritarian actors.
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