[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 342 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 342

Congratulating the people of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic 
  on the 30th anniversary of their independence and recognizing their 
       substantial support to Ukraine against Russian aggression.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 14, 2023

 Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Ricketts) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Congratulating the people of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic 
  on the 30th anniversary of their independence and recognizing their 
       substantial support to Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Whereas, on January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson called for the free 
        ``autonomous development'' of the peoples of Austria-Hungary in the 
        ``Fourteen Points'' address to a joint session of Congress, contributing 
        to the support of an independent Czech and Slovak nation State;
Whereas the peoples of the present-day Czech Republic and Slovak Republic 
        proclaimed independence on October 28, 1918, and October 30, 1918, 
        respectively, forming the common state of the Republic of 
        Czechoslovakia;
Whereas, on November 12, 1918, the United States and Czechoslovakia established 
        formal diplomatic relations;
Whereas, in February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia seized power 
        from the democratically elected Government of Czechoslovakia;
Whereas, on August 20, 1968, 20 Soviet and Warsaw Pact military divisions 
        invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague Spring, a period of increased 
        political and economic liberty following the appointment of Alexander 
        Dubcek as First Secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party;
Whereas, in the nonviolent Velvet Revolution of November 1989, the peoples of 
        both nations overthrew 40 years of totalitarian communist rule and ended 
        two decades of Soviet occupation;
Whereas, after the Velvet Revolution, the peoples of Czechoslovakia established 
        vibrant, pluralistic, democratic political systems based on free-market 
        economics, freedom of speech, a free press, free and fair elections, the 
        rule of law, and respect for human rights--values embodied by Vaclav 
        Havel, the first president of Czechoslovakia after the fall of communism 
        in that country;
Whereas, on February 21, 1990, Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel delivered his 
        historic address before the joint session of the United States Congress 
        on Czechoslovakia's path to democracy;
Whereas, on January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic were 
        formally created as independent nation states after the peaceful 
        dissolution of Czechoslovakia;
Whereas the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, owing to substantial support 
        from the United States, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
        (NATO) on March 12, 1999, and March 29, 2004, respectively, and have 
        made significant contributions to collective defense and the operations 
        of NATO as well as international coalitions led by the United States 
        around the world;
Whereas the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic continue to demonstrate their 
        strong commitment to advancing democracy, free trade, respect for human 
        rights, international peace and security, and the rules-based 
        international order through their membership in the European Union and 
        other international organizations;
Whereas the peoples of the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak 
        Republic have forged a special relationship based on their shared 
        historic ties, mutual respect, close cooperation, and the shared values 
        of democracy, free trade, respect for human rights, international peace 
        and security, and the rules-based international order;
Whereas, in 2023, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic are celebrating the 
        30th anniversary of the National Guard State Partnership Program with 
        the National Guards of Texas, Nebraska, and Indiana, a program which has 
        contributed to military readiness and interoperability between the 
        United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic;
Whereas the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic stand 
        united in support of the people and Government of Ukraine against 
        Russia's unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; and
Whereas the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic are major 
        contributors to political, humanitarian, economic, and military 
        assistance to Ukraine: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the peoples of the Czech Republic and the 
        Slovak Republic for overthrowing totalitarian communist rule in 
        1989 and asserting their right to self-determination and 
        affirming their allegiance to the values of democracy, free-
        market economics, and respect for human rights through the 
        peaceful, nonviolent Velvet Revolution;
            (2) celebrates the lasting contributions of the Czech 
        Republic and the Slovak Republic to science, the arts, culture, 
        music, literature, politics, trade, and international affairs;
            (3) applauds the achievements of the Czech Republic and the 
        Slovak Republic in building free, open, democratic, and 
        prosperous societies over the past 30 years;
            (4) congratulates the peoples of the Czech Republic and the 
        Slovak Republic on the 30th anniversary of their independence 
        and the 105th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the 
        United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic;
            (5) congratulates the Czech Republic and the Slovak 
        Republic for their leadership in the European Union;
            (6) expresses gratitude for the solidarity of the Czech 
        Republic and the Slovak Republic as they stand in solidarity 
        with the people of Ukraine in their fight against Russia's 
        brutal, unprovoked, and illegal invasion;
            (7) reaffirms the historical and transnational ties that 
        bind together the countries and peoples of the Czech Republic, 
        the Slovak Republic, and the United States as freedom-loving 
        peoples and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
            (8) recognizes the importance of the United States, the 
        Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic partnership, as long-
        standing partners and as NATO allies, in addressing common 
        threats and challenges, including in the areas of climate 
        change, energy security, advanced technologies, cyber security, 
        and resilience to disinformation and hybrid threats;
            (9) applauds the commitment of the Czech Republic and the 
        Slovak Republic to spend two percent of their gross domestic 
        products on defense by 2024, an important commitment they have 
        made as NATO allies; and
            (10) expresses the United States commitment to further 
        strengthen transatlantic ties and regional security through 
        NATO, supports a faster pace of modernization of the Czech and 
        Slovak armed forces in light of the clear threat to 
        transatlantic peace and security posed by Russia's aggression 
        in Ukraine, and reaffirms commitment to continue working to 
        address new and emerging threats to our security, including the 
        People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and other 
        authoritarian actors.
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