[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 94 (Monday, June 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5392-S5394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 87--CONGRATULATING THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA 
       ON THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

  Mr. SMITH (for himself and Mr. Durbin) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 87

       Whereas, on November 18, 1918, in the City of Riga, the 
     members of the People's Council proclaimed Latvia a free, 
     democratic, and sovereign nation;
       Whereas, on July 24, 1922, the United States formally 
     recognized Latvia as an independent and sovereign nation;
       Whereas Latvia existed for 21 years as an independent and 
     sovereign nation and a fully recognized member of the League 
     of Nations;
       Whereas Latvia maintained friendly and stable relations 
     with its neighbors, including the Soviet Union, during its 
     independence, without any border disputes;
       Whereas Latvia concluded several peace treaties and 
     protocols with the Soviet Union, including a peace treaty 
     signed on August 11, 1920, under which the Soviet Union 
     ``unreservedly recognize[d] the independence and sovereignty 
     of the Latvian State and forever renounce[d] all sovereign 
     rights . . . over the Latvian people and territory'';
       Whereas, despite friendly and mutually productive relations 
     between Latvia and the Soviet Union, on August 23, 1939, Nazi 
     Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop 
     Pact, which contained a secret protocol assigning Latvia, 
     Estonia, and Lithuania to the Soviet sphere of influence;

[[Page S5394]]

       Whereas, under the cover of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, on 
     June 17, 1940, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania were forcibly 
     incorporated into the Soviet Union in violation of pre-
     existing peace treaties;
       Whereas the Soviet Union imposed upon the people of 
     Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania a communist political system 
     that stifled civil dissent, free political expression, and 
     basic human rights;
       Whereas the United States never recognized this illegal and 
     forcible occupation, and successive United States presidents 
     maintained continuous diplomatic relations with these 
     countries throughout the Soviet occupation, never accepting 
     them to be ``Soviet Republics'';
       Whereas, during the 50 years of Soviet occupation of the 
     Baltic states, Congress strongly, consistently, and on a 
     bipartisan basis supported a United States policy of legal 
     non-recognition;
       Whereas, in 1953, the congressionally-established Kersten 
     Commission investigated the incorporation of Latvia, Estonia, 
     and Lithuania into the Soviet Union and determined that the 
     Soviet Union had illegally and forcibly occupied and annexed 
     the Baltic countries;
       Whereas, in 1982, and for the next nine years until the 
     Baltic countries regained their independence, Congress 
     annually adopted a Baltic Freedom Day resolution denouncing 
     the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and appealing for the freedom of 
     the Baltic countries;
       Whereas, in 1991, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania regained 
     their de facto independence and were quickly recognized by 
     the United States and by almost every other country in the 
     world, including the Soviet Union;
       Whereas, in 1998, the United States and the three Baltic 
     nations signed the U.S.-Baltic Charter of Partnership, an 
     expression of the importance of the Baltic Sea region to 
     United States interests;
       Whereas the 109th Congress resolved (S. Con. Res. 35 and H. 
     Res. 28) that ``it is the sense of Congress that the 
     Government of the Russian Federation should issue a clear and 
     unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the 
     illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from 
     1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and 
     Lithuania, the consequences of which will be a significant 
     increase in good will among the affected people'';
       Whereas Latvia has successfully developed as a free and 
     democratic country, ensured the rule of law, and developed a 
     free market economy;
       Whereas the Government of Latvia has constantly pursued a 
     course of integration of that country into the community of 
     free and democratic nations, becoming a full and responsible 
     member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security 
     and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, and the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization;
       Whereas the people of Latvia cherish the principles of 
     political freedom, human rights, and independence; and
       Whereas Latvia is a strong and loyal ally of the United 
     States, and the people of Latvia share common values with the 
     people of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) congratulates the people of Latvia on the occasion of 
     the 90th anniversary of that country's November 18, 1918, 
     declaration of independence;
       (2) commends the Government of Latvia for its success in 
     implementing political and economic reforms, for establishing 
     political, religious and economic freedom, and for its strong 
     commitment to human and civil rights;
       (3) recognizes the common goals and shared values of the 
     people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the close and 
     friendly relations and ties of the three Baltic countries 
     with one other, and their tragic history in the last century 
     under the Nazi and Soviet occupations;
       (4) calls on the President to issue a proclamation 
     congratulating the people of Latvia on the 90th anniversary 
     of the declaration of Latvia's independence on November 18, 
     1918;
       (5) respectfully requests the President to congratulate the 
     Government of Latvia for its commitment to democracy, a free 
     market economy, human rights, the rule of law, participation 
     in a wide range of international structures, and security 
     cooperation with the United States Government; and
       (6) calls on the President and Secretary of State to urge 
     the Government of the Russian Federation to acknowledge that 
     the Soviet occupation of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania under 
     the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and for the succeeding 51 years 
     was illegal.

  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill with my 
distinguished colleague, the senior Senator from Illinois, 
commemorating the 90th anniversary of Latvia's independence.
  This past century saw more than its share of tragedy, as the twin 
evils of fascism and communism seeded mankind with misery unknown to 
earlier generations. Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism did their best to 
stamp out the individualistic spirit among their adherents, and forge 
them instead into a single mailed fist suited only for war, plunder, 
and oppression. Though the struggle against both was long and often 
dark, rays of light continually pierced the clouds. One such ray was 
the establishment of Israel, whose 60th anniversary we are 
commemorating this year. Another was the independence, sporadic though 
it began, of independent Baltic republics like Latvia. The modern state 
of Latvia was born in days of hope after the calamity of the Great War, 
days when so many of the subjugated peoples of Europe achieved 
independence. On November 18, 1918, Latvia became free. The U.S. 
recognized Latvia less than 4 years later.
  It is both Latvia's blessing and its curse to sit on a historical 
crossroads. The Baltic region has been an important trading hub for 
hundreds of years, stretching back to the days of Vikings and 
Byzantium. Latvians, surrounded by powerful neighbors and wealthy 
trading states, have thus led a perilous existence. Tragically, but not 
fatally, Latvia's post-1918 existence was to be similarly perilous. 
Through a secret protocol with the Nazis, the U.S.S.R. occupied Latvia 
in the beginning of World War II, and retained control until the final 
collapse of the Soviet state in 1991. At that moment, ravished by 
communism and beset by historical injustice, Latvians made a bold 
choice to build a free, democratic, and prosperous Western-oriented 
society. They have since succeeded brilliantly, achieving high levels 
of economic and political freedom, and enjoying one of the highest 
living standards among ex-communist countries. Latvia today stands as a 
model of Western, free-market democracy, and America stands with it.
  I am very proud that Latvia is no longer in peril. It is a valuable 
member of NATO, and leads a new wave of pro-growth nations in the 
European Union. I am honored to introduce this resolution with Senator 
Durbin, and commend Latvia on its 90th anniversary of independence.

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