[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 38 (Monday, March 6, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S1605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 81--RECOGNIZING THE 196TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
  INDEPENDENCE OF GREECE AND CELEBRATING DEMOCRACY IN GREECE AND THE 
                             UNITED STATES

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Murphy, 
Mr. Casey, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Coons, Mr. Reed, Mr. Rubio, Mr. 
Blumenthal, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
Bennet, Mr. Carper, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Peters, Mr. Brown, Mr. 
Booker, Mr. Donnelly, Mr. Perdue, and Mrs. Gillibrand) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                               S. Res. 81

       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 heroically resisted Axis forces at a crucial 
     moment in World War II, forcing Adolf Hitler to change his 
     timeline and delaying the attack on Russia;
       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 the people of Greece were 
     killed during World War II;
       Whereas Greece consistently allied with the United States 
     in major international conflicts throughout the 20th century;
       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 and having 
     contributed more than $750,000,000 in development aid for the 
     region;
       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;
       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 Greece remains an integral part of the European 
     Union;
       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, 2017, 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 196th 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 196 years ago.

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