[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1383 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1383

   Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the independence of Bulgaria.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 29, 2008

 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Gallegly, 
 Mrs. Tauscher, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. McIntyre, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, 
Mr. Forbes, Mr. David Davis of Tennessee, Mrs. Musgrave, Mr. Garrett of 
    New Jersey, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. 
   Bachmann, Mr. Barrett of South Carolina, Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart of 
Florida, and Mr. Cuellar) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

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                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the independence of Bulgaria.

Whereas on September 22, 1908, Bulgaria proclaimed its independence to become a 
        full-fledged sovereign state under the name of the Kingdom of Bulgaria;
Whereas this act marked the end of a long and dedicated struggle the Bulgarian 
        people waged against their ages-long foreign occupier, the Ottoman 
        Empire, which conquered the medieval Bulgarian state in the 14th 
        Century;
Whereas although liberated in 1878, Bulgaria remained divided and dependent on 
        its formal ruler;
Whereas with the proclamation of independence, Bulgaria took its rightful place 
        among the family of nations and secured for its people, once and 
        forever, the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
        happiness;
Whereas at present, 100 years after having gained its sovereignty and 
        independent statehood, the Republic of Bulgaria is a democratic nation 
        and a staunch ally of the United States;
Whereas Bulgaria shares the universal values of freedom and human rights, making 
        its own contribution to a safer and better world;
Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations with the Republic of 
        Bulgaria on September 19, 1903;
Whereas the United States acknowledges the courage of the Bulgarian people in 
        deciding to pursue a free, democratic, and independent Bulgaria and 
        their steadfast perseverance in building a society based on the rule of 
        law, respect for human rights, and a free market economy;
Whereas the people of the Republic of Bulgaria strive to preserve and continue 
        their tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance;
Whereas the Bulgarian Parliament, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, King Boris III, 
        politicians, intellectuals, and citizens all played a part in the 
        resistance to Nazi pressure to carry out the deportation of Jews living 
        in Bulgaria by preventing the deportation of 50,000 Jews to Nazi 
        concentration camps;
Whereas Bulgaria was the only European country during World War II to increase 
        its Jewish population;
Whereas Bulgaria experienced its first free election after the end of the Cold 
        War in June 1990;
Whereas North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) heads of state and member 
        governments, meeting in Prague on November 21, 2002, invited Bulgaria 
        into NATO after verified reforms of both Bulgaria's political and 
        economic systems were completed in preparation for membership;
Whereas Bulgaria was accepted as a member of NATO and has shown determination in 
        enacting the continued reforms necessary to be a productive, 
        contributing member of the Alliance;
Whereas Bulgaria was welcomed into the European Union in January 2007;
Whereas the World Bank recently classified Bulgaria as one of the top 10 nations 
        to have undertaken important economic reforms to attract business 
        investment;
Whereas Bulgaria is the only European Union nation to be listed in the top 10 of 
        the World Bank's classification;
Whereas Bulgaria has promoted stability in the Balkans by rendering support to 
        Operation Allied Force and Operation Joint Guardian led by the NATO, and 
        by providing peacekeeping troops to the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia 
        and Herzegovina (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to the Kosovo 
        Force (KFOR) in Kosovo;
Whereas at the invitation of the Government of Bulgaria, United States Armed 
        Forces will begin joint military activities with Bulgarian military 
        forces in Bulgaria, which is the first defense cooperation agreement of 
        its kind in the course of over 1,300 years of Bulgarian statehood; and
Whereas Bulgaria has stood firmly by the United States in the cause of advancing 
        freedom worldwide during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the 
        United Nations Security Council: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the Republic of Bulgaria for developing 
        increasingly friendly and meaningful relations with the United 
        States over the past 100 years;
            (2) recognizes the continued contributions of Bulgaria 
        toward bringing peace, stability, and prosperity to the region 
        of South Eastern Europe, including its contributions to 
        regional security and democratic stability;
            (3) salutes the willing cooperation of Bulgaria and its 
        increasingly vital role as a valuable ally in the war against 
        international terrorism; and
            (4) encourages opportunities for greater cooperation 
        between the United States and Bulgaria in the political, 
        military, economic, and cultural spheres.
                                 <all>