[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1142 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1142

Recognizing 100 years of diplomatic relations between the United States 
                         and the Baltic States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 27, 2022

    Mr. Bacon (for himself and Mr. Gallego) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing 100 years of diplomatic relations between the United States 
                         and the Baltic States.

Whereas the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania originally declared 
        their independence in 1918;
Whereas, in 1920, Soviet Russia signed treaties with Estonia, Latvia, and 
        Lithuania recognizing their sovereignty and renouncing all territorial 
        claims over each Baltic State in perpetuity;
Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations with Estonia, Latvia, 
        and Lithuania as independent countries on July 28, 1922, and the United 
        States and the Baltic States have grown strong as partners for the past 
        century;
Whereas, on August 23, 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the 
        Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which contained a secret protocol dividing 
        Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, with the Baltic States 
        ultimately being assigned to the Soviet Union, leading soon after to the 
        forcible incorporation of the Baltic States into the Soviet Union;
Whereas following World War II, the Soviet Union forcibly occupied the Baltic 
        States, imposing its model of Soviet totalitarianism for more than 5 
        decades;
Whereas the United States never recognized the illegal occupation of Estonia, 
        Latvia, and Lithuania by the Soviet Union, instead maintaining 100 years 
        of continuous diplomatic relations with the Baltic States;
Whereas, in August 1989, approximately 2,000,000 people joined hands in Estonia, 
        Latvia, and Lithuania to form a 373-mile human chain across the 3 States 
        known as the Baltic Chain of Freedom;
Whereas, in February 1990, the people of Lithuania participated in the first 
        free election to select a new parliament, which promptly voted to 
        restore independence, making Lithuania the first occupied Soviet 
        republic to declare independence on March 11, 1990, a move subsequently 
        followed by Latvia on May 4, 1990, and Estonia on August 20, 1991;
Whereas, in January 1991, Soviet military forces tried to quash the growing 
        independence restoration movement, leading to approximately 14 
        Lithuanian deaths, 6 Latvian deaths, and many injuries;
Whereas, in February and March 1991, the people of Lithuania, Estonia, and 
        Latvia voted overwhelmingly in support of their respective independence 
        restoration referendums, which the United States recognized later that 
        year;
Whereas the Baltic States helped pave the path for democracy and freedom across 
        Eastern Europe, leading to the fall of the Soviet Union;
Whereas after the restoration of independence, the economies of Estonia, Latvia, 
        and Lithuania emerged as modern market economies leading in technology 
        and financial services sectors;
Whereas Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania continue to demonstrate their commitment 
        to advancing democratic values, peace, and security through their 
        membership and active participation in the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization (NATO), the European Union, and the Organisation for 
        Economic Co-operation and Development;
Whereas the Baltic States have been loyal NATO allies, contributing to regional 
        and global security through operations in Afghanistan and leadership in 
        the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Estonia, the 
        NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Latvia, and the 
        NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence in Lithuania;
Whereas the Baltic States contribute to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area 
        by spending at least 2 percent of gross domestic product for defense and 
        to global security through determined participation in international 
        allied operations and missions;
Whereas Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were among the first countries to 
        participate in the National Guard State Partnership Program with the 
        Maryland, Michigan, and Pennsylvania National Guards, respectively, and, 
        since 1993, have provided additional opportunities to enhance military 
        readiness and interoperability between the United States and Baltic 
        forces;
Whereas, in 2019, the United States and the Baltic States signed the Security 
        Cooperation Roadmaps, outlining joint security cooperation priorities 
        from 2019 to 2024;
Whereas the Baltic States are actively involved in security assistance, 
        promotion of democracy, and protection of human rights across Eastern 
        Europe, including in Ukraine and Belarus, in the face of aggression and 
        an increase of troops in Belarus by the Russian Federation and the 
        manipulation of the migrant crisis in Europe by the Lukashenko regime;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has pursued an aggressive 
        campaign of intimidation against the Baltic States including the 
        repeated violation of the sovereign airspace with military aircraft, and 
        the harassment of government officials, private citizens, and military 
        personnel stationed in Europe and abroad through disinformation, 
        propaganda, and other cyberattacks;
Whereas since the restoration of independence, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania 
        have faced persistent aggression, intimidation, and cyberattacks from 
        the Russian Federation and, as a result, have worked to shape total 
        defense strategies to counter intervention by the Russian Federation;
Whereas after building trade ties with Taiwan, the Government of Lithuania has 
        faced severe economic and diplomatic coercion from the People's Republic 
        of China including a discriminatory and illegal customs blockade on 
        products from Lithuania and imports containing Lithuanian parts, 
        prompting the European Union to formally refer the matter to the World 
        Trade Organization as a violation of international trade rules;
Whereas, on January 24, 2022, the Secretary of Defense put 8,500 members of the 
        United States Armed Forces on high alert for potential deployment to 
        Eastern Europe as part of a NATO response force in reaction to Russia's 
        destabilizing military force deployments in Belarus, along Russia's 
        border with Ukraine, and in the Black Sea;
Whereas, on February 22, 2022, in response to the illegal invasion of Ukraine by 
        Russian air, land, and naval forces, the President of the United States 
        ordered the rapid deployment of an infantry battalion task force, F-35 
        fighter aircraft, and AH-64 attack helicopters to uphold NATO security 
        commitments to the Baltic States;
Whereas support for the Baltic States by the United States remains a crucial 
        factor for countering military, economic, and diplomatic coercion by the 
        Governments of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, and the 
        People's Republic of China, and complements the efforts of NATO to 
        strengthen its deterrence and defense posture, including enhanced 
        forward presence in the eastern part of the NATO alliance;
Whereas the Baltic States have been models of democratic governance with strong 
        institutions and respect for civil liberties and the rule of law, which 
        are cherished shared values between the Baltic States and the United 
        States; and
Whereas since the restoration of independence, the democratic and economic 
        development and progress of the Baltic States has established Estonia, 
        Latvia, and Lithuania as 3 shining beacons of freedom: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes 100 years of continuous diplomatic relations 
        between the United States and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania;
            (2) looks forward to strengthening diplomatic relations 
        between the Baltic States and the United States;
            (3) recognizes the courage and resilience of the people of 
        Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in their fight for freedom and 
        democracy in the face of persistent coercion, intimidation, and 
        aggressive behavior by the Russian Federation;
            (4) stands in solidarity with the Baltic States against all 
        forms of economic, diplomatic, or military coercion by the 
        Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the People's 
        Republic of China, and other authoritarian governments;
            (5) commits to providing continued support for the Baltic 
        States through economic and security cooperation, including 
        through the Baltic Security Initiative, and further 
        strengthening transatlantic ties and regional security through 
        the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and
            (6) affirms its desire that the next 100 years of 
        friendship between the Baltic States and the United States 
        continue to build on the positive achievements and progress 
        made since the Baltic States restored their independence.
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