[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 105 (Monday, June 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S2765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 611--RECOGNIZING THAT FOR 50 YEARS, THE KINGDOM OF 
 TONGA HAS WORKED WITH THE UNITED STATES TOWARD STABILITY, PROSPERITY, 
 AND PEACE IN THE PACIFIC AND BEYOND, AND EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE 
    SENATE THAT THE UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN A STRONG, 
              RELIABLE, AND ACTIVE PARTNER IN THE PACIFIC

  Mr. GARDNER (for himself and Ms. Hirono) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 611

       Whereas Tonga's Queen Salote Tupou III negotiated for the 
     end of British protectorate status for her nation and 
     transition to Commonwealth membership, which bore fruit in 
     1970;
       Whereas Tonga is a valued security partner of the United 
     States, and the Tongan Defense Services deployed four 
     contingents to Iraq between 2004 and 2008;
       Whereas, in the coming year, the United States is committed 
     to deepening this relationship through security cooperation, 
     including hosting Tongan defense forces for International 
     Military Education and Training (IMET) programs;
       Whereas the United States Government supports many 
     cooperative activities with the Government of Tonga in 
     sustainable fisheries management and development assistance, 
     including those authorized by the Asia Reassurance Initiative 
     Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-409);
       Whereas section 1252 of the National Defense Authorization 
     Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116-92) expands the 
     number of countries that receive assistance under the Indo-
     Pacific Maritime Security Initiative, including Tonga;
       Whereas a peaceful, prosperous, and open Indo-Pacific 
     rooted in a rule-based order that promotes security, 
     opportunity, and dignity to all peoples benefits the people 
     of both the United States and the Kingdom of Tonga;
        Whereas the Kingdom of Tonga, a constitutional monarchy, 
     took steps towards democratic governance beginning in 2010;
        Whereas over 50,000 United States citizens trace their 
     roots to the Kingdom of Tonga, and many of these reside in 
     the States of Utah, California, and Hawaii;
        Whereas Tonga has hosted the Peace Corps since 1967; and
        Whereas the Nevada National Guard entered into a State 
     Partnership Program with Tonga in 2014: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends the Kingdom of Tonga on a successful 
     transition to a constitutional monarchy and 3 elections 
     deemed to be free and fair by international observers;
       (2) supports and affirms the full implementation of 
     provisions of the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 
     (Public Law 115-409) with regard to deepening its cooperation 
     with Tonga in areas of mutual interest, including fisheries 
     and marine resource conservation, environmental challenges 
     and resilience, global health, development and trade, people-
     to-people ties, and continuing United States assistance, as 
     appropriate, to support the rule of law, good governance, and 
     economic development; and
       (3) recognizes Tonga's participation in multinational 
     security forces and multilateral institutions including the 
     United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, 
     Asian Development Bank, International Atomic Energy Agency, 
     the World Trade Organization, the Pacific Community, the 
     Secretariat of the Regional Environmental Programme, and the 
     Pacific Islands Forum.

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