[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 267 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 267


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 8, 2010

      Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Congratulating the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on 
   the 20th anniversary of their declarations on the restoration of 
                  independence from the Soviet Union.

Whereas the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were occupied in 
        June 1940 by Soviet forces through the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and 
        illegally incorporated into the Soviet Union in August 1940;
Whereas between June and August 1941, the Baltic nations were invaded by Nazi 
        Germany, subject to brutal repression, and occupied as part of the Third 
        Reich

              

 before being re-occupied by Soviet forces in late 1944 until they regained 
their independence in August 1991;

Whereas their forcible and illegal incorporation into the Soviet Union and Third 
        Reich was never recognized by the United States;
Whereas from 1940 to 1991, thousands of Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians 
        were executed, imprisoned, or exiled by Soviet authorities through a 
        regime of brutal repression and Sovietization in their respective 
        nations;
Whereas despite the efforts of the Soviet Union to eradicate the memory of 
        independence, the Baltic people never lost their hope for freedom and 
        their long-held dream of full independence;
Whereas during the period of ``glasnost'' and ``perestroika'' in the Soviet 
        Union, the Baltic people played a leading role in the struggle for 
        democratic reform and national independence; and
Whereas in the years following the declaration and subsequent restoration of 
        full independence, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have demonstrated 
        their commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and 
        have actively participated in a wide range of international structures, 
        pursuing further integration with European political, economic, and 
        security organizations: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) congratulates Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 
        20th anniversary of their declarations on the restoration of 
        independence from the Soviet Union and commends the significant 
        progress that they have since made, including their membership 
        in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the 
        European Union (EU); and
            (2) calls on the President to continue to build on the 
        close and mutually beneficial relations the United States has 
        enjoyed with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since the 
        restoration of the full independence of those nations.

            Passed the House of Representatives December 7, 2010.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.