[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 15, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 547--RECOGNIZING THE 201ST ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK 
 INDEPENDENCE AND CELEBRATING DEMOCRACY IN GREECE AND THE UNITED STATES

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

                              S. Res. 547

       Whereas the concept of democracy, in which the supreme 
     power to govern was vested in the people, was developed in 
     ancient Greece;
       Whereas the founding fathers of the United States were 
     inspired by ancient Greek political philosophy, which many of 
     them read in the original Greek language, when they formed 
     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 Thomas Jefferson wrote, in an October 21, 1823, 
     letter to Greek scholar Adamantios Koraes discussing the 
     ongoing Greek struggle for independence, that ``[n]o people 
     sympathise more feelingly than ours with the sufferings of 
     your countrymen, none offer more sincere and ardent prayers 
     to heaven for their success'';
       Whereas then-Congressman Daniel Webster, on January 19, 
     1824, in a speech in support of his resolution to send an 
     American envoy to Greece amid its struggle for independence, 
     recognized ``the struggle of an interesting and gallant 
     people. . . contending against fearful odds, for being, and 
     for the common privilege of human nature'';
       Whereas American Philhellenes, including future 
     abolitionist Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, future abolitionist 
     Jonathan Peckham Miller, and George Jarvis, traveled to 
     Greece to fight alongside and provide aid to the Greek people 
     in their struggle for independence;
       Whereas the people of the United States generously sent 
     humanitarian assistance to the people of Greece during their 
     struggle for independence, often through philhellene 
     committees;
       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 that ``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 the United States and Greece have been allies in 
     major international conflicts throughout modern history;
       Whereas the Greek-American community has positively 
     contributed to American society and has helped forge strong 
     ties between the United States and Greece;
       Whereas the United States greatly contributed to the 
     reconstruction of Greece after World War II;
       Whereas NATO membership has further enhanced cooperation 
     between the United States and Greece;
       Whereas Greece is an integral part of the European Union;
       Whereas Greece is a strategic partner of the United States 
     in bringing political stability and economic development to 
     the Balkan region, having actively contributed to the Euro-
     Atlantic integration of the countries of the region and 
     having been a major investor in Southeastern Europe, 
     including in critical infrastructure;
       Whereas Greece participates in and actively promotes 
     several formats for regional partnership in the Eastern 
     Mediterranean;
       Whereas the United States has demonstrated its support for 
     the trilateral partnership of Greece, Israel, and Cyprus by 
     enacting into law the Eastern Mediterranean Security and 
     Energy Partnership Act of 2019 (title II of division J of 
     Public Law 116-94) and through joint engagement with Greece, 
     Israel, and Cyprus in the ``3+1'' format;
       Whereas this support was bolstered in the United States-
     Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021 
     (subtitle B of title XIII of Public Law 117-81), establishing 
     a 3+1 Interparliamentary Group to discuss the expansion of 
     co-operation in other areas of common concern;
       Whereas the United States and Greece's commitment to 
     security cooperation led to the conclusion of a Mutual 
     Defense Cooperation Agreement, which was updated in 2021 in 
     order to enhance defense ties between the two countries and 
     promote stability in the broader region;
       Whereas the ongoing United States-Greece Strategic Dialogue 
     reflects Greece's importance to the United States as a 
     geostrategic partner, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean 
     and Balkans, and as an important NATO ally;
       Whereas the Governments and people of Greece and the United 
     States are at the forefront of international efforts to 
     advance freedom, democracy, rule of law, human rights, peace, 
     and stability;
       Whereas those efforts and similar ideals have forged a 
     close bond between the peoples of Greece and the United 
     States; and
       Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to 
     celebrate March 25, 2022, 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 201st anniversary of 
     the independence of Greece;
       (2) expresses support for the principles of democratic 
     governance to which the people of the United States and 
     Greece are committed;
       (3) notes the important role that Greece has played in the 
     wider European region and in the community of nations since 
     gaining its independence;
       (4) commends the contributions of the Greek-American 
     community to the United States and its role as a bridge 
     between the two countries;
       (5) commends the critical role Greece plays in promoting 
     stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans; 
     and
       (6) appreciates the important energy partnership that 
     exists between the United States and Greece, and the 
     important role that Greece plays in bolstering European 
     energy security.

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