[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 119 (Monday, July 28, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE WITH RESPECT TO MOLDOVA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 25, 2014

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
strong support for House Resolution 562, which expresses the sense of 
the House with regard to the United States' special relationship with 
the Republic of Moldova. I am especially pleased to join my colleague, 
Congressman Joe Pitts, with whom I co-chair the Congressional Moldova 
Caucus here in the House, and with whom I am proud to have coauthored 
the resolution before us here today.
   Mr. Speaker, the United States and Moldova have enjoyed a strong and 
evolving friendship for many years. Since its independence following 
the fall of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Moldova--like all nascent 
democracies--has weathered the at-times uncertain path toward a stable, 
certain future. But the remarkable progress of the past several decades 
is a testament not only to the tenacity and spirit of the Moldovan 
people, but also to Moldova's promise and potential as a strong, 
independent nation in the future.
   In the past several years, we have seen Moldova reach a number of 
milestones on the path toward broader and more comprehensive engagement 
with Europe--and with the United States. Our House Democracy 
Partnership witnessed the country's progress first-hand on a 2007 
visit. I was pleased to join Congressman Pitts and more than 360 of our 
colleagues at the end of the last Congress to support a bill that 
finally removed unnecessary trade barriers between the Republic of 
Moldova and the United States.
   And we were heartened last fall by the initialing of the Association 
Agreement between Moldova and the European Union in Vilnius--an 
Agreement that, as noted in the Resolution under consideration here 
today, was formally signed by the parties on June 27, 2014, just a few 
weeks ago. This enhanced Association is especially timely given the 
role played by the Russian Federation in neighboring Ukraine, where the 
fomenting of unrest and rebellion has ominous implications for the 
region as a whole.
   Lastly, I am particularly pleased to note that the bond between 
Moldova and the United States lies not just at the national level; 
North Carolina and Moldova enjoy a significant friendship as ``sister 
states,'' through the North Carolina-Moldova Partnership. Our National 
Guard works closely with their counterparts in Moldova through the 
Guard's State Partnership Program. This close relationship between my 
state and the Republic of Moldova has brought our citizens together and 
promises cultural and economic benefits to come.
   I congratulate the Republic of Moldova, and the Moldovan people, and 
look forward to our continued friendship.

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