SENATE RESOLUTION 610--RECOGNIZING THAT FOR 50 YEARS, THE REPUBLIC OF FIJI HAS WORKED WITH THE UNITED STATES TOWARD STABILITY, PROSPERITY, AND PEACE IN THE PACIFIC AND BEYOND, AND EXPRESSING THE...; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 105
(Senate - June 08, 2020)
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[[Page S2765]]
SENATE RESOLUTION 610--RECOGNIZING THAT FOR 50 YEARS, THE
REPUBLIC OF FIJI HAS WORKED WITH THE UNITED STATES TOWARD
STABILITY, PROSPERITY, AND PEACE IN THE PACIFIC AND BEYOND,
AND EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE UNITED STATES
WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN A STRONG, RELIABLE, AND ACTIVE
PARTNER IN THE PACIFIC
Mr. GARDNER (for himself and Ms. Hirono) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Res. 610
Whereas Fiji became independent of the United Kingdom on
October 10, 1970;
Whereas Fiji is a valued security partner of the United
States, participating in the International Military Education
and Training (IMET) program, which sends members of the
Republic of Fiji Military Forces to professional military
education courses in the United States;
Whereas the Republic of Fiji Military Forces deployed to
Australia in January 2020 to assist with the Australian
bushfires and look to contribute to future United Nations
peacekeeping operations;
Whereas Fiji participates in workshops sponsored by United
States Indo-Pacific Command covering international
humanitarian law, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief
(HADR), maritime security, peacekeeping, and search and
rescue operations;
Whereas, since signing a shiprider agreement with Fiji in
2019, the United States has hosted Fijian shipriders on
United States Navy and Coast Guard vessels;
Whereas the United States Government supports strengthening
cooperative activities with the Government of Fiji, including
sustainable fisheries management and those authorized by the
Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-109);
Whereas section 1252 of the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116-92) expands the
number of countries that receive assistance under the Indo-
Pacific Maritime Security Initiative, including Fiji;
Whereas a peaceful, prosperous, and open Indo-Pacific
rooted in a rule-based order that promotes security,
opportunity, and dignity to all peoples benefits the people
of both the United States and Fiji;
Whereas Fiji restored democratic governance in 2014;
Whereas over 30,000 United States citizens trace their
roots to Fiji, and many of these reside in California;
Whereas Fiji has hosted the Peace Corps since 1968;
Whereas Des Plaines, Illinois, and Nailuva, Fiji, are
sister cities, a broad-based, long-term partnership to
promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and
cooperation centered on people-to-people exchanges; and
Whereas the Nevada National Guard entered into a State
Partnership Program with Fiji in 2019: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commends the Republic of Fiji on a successful return to
democracy and 2 elections deemed to be free and fair by
international observers;
(2) supports and affirms the full implementation of
provisions of the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018
(Public Law 115-409) with regard to deepening its cooperation
with Fiji in areas of mutual interest, including fisheries
and marine resource conservation, environmental challenges
and resilience, global health, development and trade, and
people-to-people ties, as well as continuing United States
assistance, as appropriate, to support the rule of law, good
governance, and economic development; and
(3) recognizes Fiji's participation in multinational
security forces and multilateral institutions, including the
United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World
Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the International Atomic
Energy Agency, the World Trade Organization, the Pacific
Community, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional
Environmental Programme, and the Pacific Islands Forum.
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