[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 39 (Monday, March 10, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1418-S1419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 377--RECOGNIZING THE 193RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
  INDEPENDENCE OF GREECE AND CELEBRATING DEMOCRACY IN GREECE AND THE 
                             UNITED STATES

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 377

       Whereas the people of ancient Greece developed the concept 
     of democracy, in which the supreme power to govern was vested 
     in the people;
       Whereas the founding fathers of the United States, many of 
     whom read Greek political philosophy in the original Greek 
     language, drew heavily on the political experience and 
     philosophy of ancient Greece in forming the representative 
     democracy of the United States;
       Whereas Petros Mavromichalis, the former Commander in Chief 
     of Greece and a founder of the modern Greek state, said to 
     the citizens of the United States in 1821, ``It is in your 
     land that liberty has fixed her abode and . . . in imitating 
     you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of 
     them if we succeed in resembling you.'';
       Whereas the Greek national anthem, the ``Hymn to Liberty'', 
     includes the words, ``most heartily was gladdened George 
     Washington's brave land'';
       Whereas the people of the United States generously offered 
     humanitarian assistance to the people of Greece during their 
     struggle for independence;
       Whereas Greece, in one of the most consequential ``David 
     vs. Goliath'' victories for freedom and democracy in modern 
     times, refused to surrender to the Axis forces and inflicted 
     a fatal wound at a crucial moment in World War II, forcing 
     Adolf Hitler to change his timeline and delaying the attack 
     on Russia, where the Axis forces met defeat;
       Whereas Winston Churchill said, ``if there had not been the 
     virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which the 
     outcome of World War II would have been'' and ``no longer 
     will we say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes 
     fight like Greeks'';
       Whereas hundreds of thousands of people of Greece were 
     killed in Greece during World War II in defense of the values 
     of the Allies;
       Whereas, throughout the 20th century, Greece was one of a 
     few countries that allied with the United States in every 
     major international conflict;
       Whereas Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the 
     United States in bringing political stability and economic 
     development to the volatile Balkan region, having invested 
     billions of dollars in the countries of the region, thereby 
     helping to create tens of thousands of new jobs, and having 
     contributed more than $750,000,000 in development aid for the 
     region;

[[Page S1419]]

       Whereas the Government and people of Greece actively 
     participate in peacekeeping and peace-building operations 
     conducted by international organizations, including the 
     United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the 
     European Union, and the Organization for Security and Co-
     operation in Europe, and have more recently provided critical 
     support to the operation of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization in Libya;
       Whereas Greece received worldwide praise for its 
     extraordinary handling during the 2004 Olympic Games of more 
     than 14,000 athletes and more than 2,000,000 spectators and 
     journalists, a feat the Government and people of Greece 
     handled efficiently, securely, and with hospitality;
       Whereas Greece, located in a region where Christianity 
     meets Islam and Judaism, maintains excellent relations with 
     Muslim countries and Israel;
       Whereas the Government of Greece has taken important steps 
     in recent years to further cross-cultural understanding, 
     rapprochement, and cooperation in various fields with Turkey, 
     and has also improved its relations with other countries in 
     the region, including Israel, thus enhancing the stability of 
     the wider region;
       Whereas the governments and people of Greece and the United 
     States are at the forefront of efforts to advance freedom, 
     democracy, peace, stability, and human rights;
       Whereas those efforts and similar ideals have forged a 
     close bond between the people of Greece and the United 
     States; and
       Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to 
     celebrate March 25, 2014, Greek Independence Day, with the 
     people of Greece and to reaffirm the democratic principles 
     from which those two great countries were founded: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) extends warm congratulations and best wishes to the 
     people of Greece as they celebrate the 193rd anniversary of 
     the independence of Greece;
       (2) expresses support for the principles of democratic 
     governance to which the people of Greece are committed; and
       (3) notes the important role that Greece has played in the 
     wider European region and in the community of nations since 
     gaining its independence 193 years ago.

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