[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 452 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 452

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
 recent free and fair parliamentary elections and transfer of power in 
   Armenia, reaffirming the critical importance of the United States-
              Armenia partnership, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 20, 2019

 Mr. Pallone (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Ms. Speier, Mr. King of New 
  York, and Mr. Schiff) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
 recent free and fair parliamentary elections and transfer of power in 
   Armenia, reaffirming the critical importance of the United States-
              Armenia partnership, and for other purposes.

Whereas the United States formally recognized the independence of the Republic 
        of Armenia almost a century ago on April 23, 1920, through a letter from 
        Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby to the Representative of the 
        Armenian Republic, Garegin Pasdermadjian, informing him of President 
        Woodrow Wilson's decision;
Whereas the United States recognized the reestablishment of Armenia's 
        independence following seven decades of Soviet rule on December 25, 
        1991, when President George H.W. Bush announced this decision in an 
        address regarding the dissolution of the Soviet Union;
Whereas the people of the Republic of Armenia showed their commitment to 
        democracy, anticorruption measures, and rule of law during their 
        nonviolent ``Velvet Revolution'' between April and May of 2018, leading 
        to the peaceful transfer of executive leadership;
Whereas the Velvet Revolution culminated in the December 9, 2018, national 
        parliamentary elections that ``were held with respect for fundamental 
        freedoms and enjoyed broad public trust that needs to be preserved 
        through further electoral reforms'', according to the Organization for 
        Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election observation mission;
Whereas the longstanding friendship of the American and Armenian peoples 
        reinforced during decades of principled United States leadership for 
        Armenian independence from Soviet tyranny, and expanded, in the years 
        since Armenia's reborn independence, through regional and international 
        security cooperation, and mutually beneficial bilateral political, 
        economic, military, democracy, and development partnerships;
Whereas almost a century after the United States first formally recognized the 
        independence of the Republic of Armenia the bilateral political, 
        economic, and strategic partnership between the two countries continues 
        to flourish;
Whereas United States-Armenia ties are deeply rooted in shared democratic 
        values, the United States enduring commitment to Armenia's independence, 
        and a common vision of regional peace and global security, as reflected 
        in Armenia's membership in NATO's Partnership for Peace and its record 
        of deployments as part of United States-led peacekeeping operations in 
        Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kosovo, and Mali;
Whereas President Donald Trump, in a September 21, 2018, message to Armenian 
        Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, stated, ``We thank you for your 
        steadfast partnership on many fronts, including contributing to NATO 
        operations and showing great generosity in welcoming Syrian refugees'';
Whereas Armenia remains constructively engaged in the OSCE Minsk Group process, 
        co-chaired by the United States, which seeks to strengthen the 1994 
        ceasefire agreement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno Karabakh, 
        and to facilitate a durable and democratic peace;
Whereas Armenia's aid-to-trade transition requires continued United States 
        leadership on trade and investment promotion, upgraded engagement 
        through the Economic Task Force and Trade and Investment Framework 
        Agreement Council, and the exploration of mutually beneficial economic 
        accords; and
Whereas continued United States investment into initiatives that further 
        government transparency, strengthen democratic institutions, and empower 
        civil society in Armenia will only help to bolster the historic ties and 
        friendship between the two countries: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) celebrates almost a century of United States-Armenia 
        relations, the enduring friendship of the American and Armenian 
        peoples, the strong bonds between the two governments, and the 
        many contributions Americans of Armenian heritage continue to 
        make to the United States;
            (2) honors and congratulates the people of Armenia on their 
        peaceful and constitutional leadership transition and the 
        December 9, 2018, democratic parliamentary elections broadly 
        recognized as free and fair; and
            (3) calls for continued United States leadership in helping 
        empower the Armenian people to solidify their progress by 
        strengthening United States-Armenia relations through bilateral 
        visits, defense consultations to draw Armenia closer to the 
        United States, increased cooperation on international 
        peacekeeping operations, targeted trade and investment 
        promotion, and support for political party development, 
        transparency, rule of law, civil society development, and media 
        freedom.
                                 <all>