[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 638 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 638
Commending the Government and people of the Republic of Moldova for
their heroic efforts to support Ukrainian refugees fleeing President
Putin's illegal war against Ukraine.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 17, 2022
Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Johnson)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commending the Government and people of the Republic of Moldova for
their heroic efforts to support Ukrainian refugees fleeing President
Putin's illegal war against Ukraine.
Whereas, on February 18, 2022, the United States and Moldova marked 30 years of
diplomatic relations;
Whereas, on February 24, 2022, armed forces of the Russian Federation began an
illegal, unjustified, and unprovoked attack on Ukraine with missile
strikes against densely populated urban areas, including Kyiv, the
capital of Ukraine, and the regional hubs of Odesa and Mykolayiv, which
lie close to Moldova;
Whereas Moldova is a country of approximately 2,600,000 people that relies
heavily on remittances sent to Moldova by the Moldovan diaspora;
Whereas, in 2011, the Government of Moldova passed a law entitled ``Law on
Integration of Foreigners in the Republic of Moldova'', which provided
refugees and beneficiaries of humanitarian protection access to social
security, primary and secondary education, medical insurance, cultural
integration support, language classes, and employment counseling;
Whereas, prior to the most recent invasion of Ukraine by President Vladimir
Putin, the Government of Moldova assessed that the infrastructure in
Moldova could accommodate not more than 15,000 refugees;
Whereas, only one day after the commencement of the unconscionable attack on
Ukraine by President Putin, the people of Moldova welcomed more than
16,000 refugees;
Whereas, since 2014, more than 450,000 refugees fleeing the invasion of Ukraine
by President Putin had entered Moldova and more than 100,000 of such
refugees chose to remain in Moldova;
Whereas, by March 7, 2022, 89 percent of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Moldova
were women and children;
Whereas, by March 9, 2022, an estimated 6 out of every 100 people in Chisinau,
the capital of Moldova, were refugees;
Whereas, by April 26, 2022, refugees comprised more than 16 percent of the
population of Moldova;
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representative for
Central Europe Roland Schilling said, ``The attitude of Moldovan
authorities is really impressive'', and noted that ``local communities
came to help refugees, feeding them, supporting them'' at the border;
Whereas the Government of Moldova has created ``green corridors'' to facilitate
the crossing of refugees from Ukraine to Romania and other countries in
the European Union;
Whereas, over the past year, the Government of Moldova and civil society have
embarked on meaningful reform of the justice system and promoted good
governance and economic stability in Moldova;
Whereas, on March 3, 2022, Moldova formally submitted its application to join
the European Union, signaling a commitment to democratic values and the
rule of law;
Whereas, on March 16, 2022, the European Union announced that Moldova and
Ukraine had completed the emergency synchronization process with the
Continental European Grid, operated by the European Network of
Transmission System Operators;
Whereas, as of April 21, 2022, the United States has provided more than
$25,000,000 to support humanitarian operations in Moldova;
Whereas, on April 22, 2022, a senior military official of the Russian Federation
indicated that the Russian Federation intended to conquer southern
Ukraine and join that territory with Transnistria, a breakaway region of
Moldova; and
Whereas, in late April and early May 2022, reports of unexplained explosions in
Transnistria elevated concerns that the Russia Federation could expand
its war into Moldova: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commends the people of Moldova for their hospitality
and extraordinary efforts hosting more than 100,000 refugees
fleeing Ukraine;
(2) condemns provocation and aggressive action by the
Russian Federation in the Transnistria region of Moldova;
(3) reaffirms the sovereignty of Moldova and supports the
choice of the Government of Moldova to further integrate with
structures of the European Union;
(4) calls on the United States Government to continue to
provide meaningful financial and technical support to Moldova;
(5) calls on international partners to join the United
States in providing swift and immediate humanitarian aid to
Ukrainians in Moldova;
(6) calls on the United States Government to continue
working with the European Network of Transmission System
Operators, the Government of Moldova, and the Government of
Ukraine to complete full synchronization of the electricity
grids of Moldova and Ukraine with the Continental European
Grid; and
(7) expresses support for the ongoing efforts by the
Government of Moldova to reform the justice sector, promote
good governance, and bolster the energy security of Moldova.
<all>