[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 17, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2550-S2551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 40--WELCOMING THE PRIME MINISTER OF GREECE 
   TO THE UNITED STATES FOR AN ADDRESS TO A JOINT MEETING OF CONGRESS

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

                            S. Con. Res. 40

       Whereas the concept of democracy--that the people have the 
     power to govern--was developed in ancient Greece;
       Whereas the United States and Greece have enjoyed more than 
     150 years of diplomatic relations and share deep cultural 
     connections and values;
       Whereas the United States and Greece have been partners and 
     allies in all major international conflicts throughout modern 
     history;
       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 the Soviet Union;
       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 metropolitan area of Mariupol, Ukraine, where 
     forces of the Russian Federation have committed 
     unconscionable war crimes against the local population during 
     the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by President Vladimir Putin, 
     is home to approximately 120,000 ethnic Greeks;
       Whereas, after forces of the Russian Federation bombed a 
     hospital in Ukraine on March 9, 2022, Prime Minister of 
     Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, on March 18, 2022, ``Greece 
     is ready to rebuild the maternity hospital in Mariupol, the 
     center of Greek minority in Ukraine, a city dear to our 
     hearts and the symbol of barbarity of the war'';
       Whereas Greece has sent at least 4 humanitarian aid 
     shipments to Ukraine, including non-perishable food, bottled 
     water, antiseptics, medical supplies, and power generators;
       Whereas Greece has provided Ukraine with security 
     assistance, including Kalashnikov rifles and portable rocket 
     launchers;
       Whereas membership in the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO) has further enhanced cooperation between 
     the United States and Greece;
       Whereas Greece is an integral part of the European Union;
       Whereas the commitment of the United States and Greece to 
     security cooperation led to the Mutual Defense Cooperation 
     Agreement Between the Government of the United States of 
     America and the Government of the Hellenic Republic, done at 
     Athens July 8, 1990, which was updated in 2021 to enhance 
     defense ties between the countries and promote stability in 
     southeastern Europe;
       Whereas the Greek port of Alexandroupoli has been 
     instrumental in allowing the

[[Page S2551]]

     United States to help reinforce the eastern flank of NATO and 
     deter further aggression by the Russian Federation against 
     allies and partners of the United States;
       Whereas the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit of 
     Alexandroupoli, recently inaugurated, will contribute 
     significantly to energy diversification of Greece and 
     southeastern Europe, especially in light of the invasion of 
     Ukraine by the Russian Federation;
       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 
     cooperation in other areas of common concern;
       Whereas the United States is home to a robust Greek-
     American community of approximately 3,000,000 people, who 
     meaningfully contribute to the cultural fabric of the United 
     States; and
       Whereas the Speaker of the House has invited Prime Minister 
     Mitsotakis to address a joint meeting of Congress on May 17, 
     2022: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the Senate--
       (1) warmly welcomes Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos 
     Mitsotakis to the United States;
       (2) eagerly anticipates the address of Prime Minister 
     Mitsotakis before a joint meeting of Congress;
       (3) appreciates the historic and present role of Greece in 
     the defense of democracy, including through the provision of 
     support to Ukraine amid the ongoing brutal and unprovoked 
     invasion by the Russian Federation;
       (4) commits to a continued partnership with Greece to 
     bolster energy cooperation through the 3+1 format and help 
     accelerate energy security in Europe;
       (5) reaffirms the steadfast and bipartisan support for the 
     friendship between the people and Governments of the United 
     States and Greece; and
       (6) appreciates the important role that Greek-Americans 
     play in supporting the strong bonds that exist between the 
     United States and Greece.

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