[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 499 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 499

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 31, 2022

Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mr. Braun, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Coons, Mr. Tillis, 
    Mr. Murphy, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Rubio, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. 
    Collins, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Reed, and Ms. Stabenow) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Celebrating 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 National 
        Guard skills and improve 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 
        for 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 
        disinformation campaign in the Baltic States, including intimidation of 
        Western civilians and troops stationed in Europe and abroad via hacking, 
        propaganda, and other cyberattacks, and has increased air provocations 
        in Eastern Europe;
Whereas, since the restoration of independence, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania 
        have faced considerable aggressive behavior, 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;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has brazenly imposed a 
        customs blockade on products from Lithuania and imports containing 
        Lithuanian parts, with the European Union considering taking the matter 
        to the World Trade Organization as a violation of international trade 
        rules;
Whereas, on December 21, 2021, in a call with Prime Minister of Lithuania 
        Ingrida Simonyte, Secretary of State Tony Blinken underscored the 
        ironclad solidarity of the relationship of the United States with 
        Lithuania as Lithuania faces geopolitical challenges to regional 
        stability, security, and economic prosperity;
Whereas, on January 5, 2022, at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister 
        of Germany Annalena Baerbock, Secretary of State Blinken added, ``We 
        have immediate concern about the Government of China's attempts to bully 
        Lithuania, a country of fewer than three million people. China is 
        pushing European and American companies to stop building products with 
        components made in Lithuania or risk losing access to the Chinese 
        market, all because Lithuania chose to expand their cooperation with 
        Taiwan.'';
Whereas, on January 24, 2022, the Secretary of Defense put 8,500 members of the 
        Armed Forces on high alert for potential deployment to Eastern Europe as 
        part of a NATO response force;
Whereas support for the Baltic States by the United States remains a crucial 
        factor for countering such economic and diplomatic coercion by the 
        Government of the People's Republic of China and ensuring security in 
        the Baltic States and complements the efforts of NATO to strengthen its 
        deterrence and defense posture, including an enhancing its forward 
        presence in the eastern part of the NATO Alliance with multinational 
        battlegroups;
Whereas the Baltic States have been models for 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 for freedom: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) celebrates 100 years of continuous diplomatic relations 
        between the United States and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania;
            (2) looks forward to continued growth in diplomatic 
        relations between the Baltic States and the United States;
            (3) commits to providing continued support for the Baltic 
        States through economic and security cooperation, including 
        through the Baltic Security Initiative, further strengthening 
        transatlantic ties and regional presence through the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization;
            (4) recognizes the courage and resilience of the people of 
        Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in their fight for freedom and 
        democracy in the face of aggressive behavior by the Russian 
        Federation;
            (5) stands in solidarity with Lithuania against economic 
        and diplomatic coercion by the People's Republic of China; and
            (6) expresses the wish 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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