[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 50 (Thursday, March 21, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S2517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 606--TO RECOGNIZE THE 203RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
  INDEPENDENCE OF GREECE AND CELEBRATING DEMOCRACY IN GREECE AND THE 
                             UNITED STATES

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Duckworth, 
Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Reed, Mr. 
Bennet, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Rounds, Ms. Rosen, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Booker, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Markey) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 606

       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. . .imitating you, 
     we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of them 
     if we succeed in resembling you.'';
       Whereas, in an October 21, 1823, letter to Greek scholar 
     Adamantios Koraes discussing the ongoing Greek struggle for 
     independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote 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, on January 19, 1824, in a speech in support of his 
     resolution to send an American envoy to Greece amid its 
     struggle for independence, then-Congressman Daniel Webster 
     recognized ``the struggle of an interesting and gallant 
     people. . .contending against fearful odds, for being, and 
     for the common privilege of human nature'';
       Whereas individual 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 hundreds of thousands of Greeks were killed during 
     World War II;
       Whereas Greece consistently allied with the United States 
     in major international conflicts throughout its history as a 
     modern state;
       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, on November 13, 2023, the United States Agency for 
     International Development and Greece signed a memorandum of 
     understanding to advance energy security and cooperation in 
     the Western Balkans;
       Whereas Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to 
     Greece in January 2024 and met with Prime Minister of Greece 
     Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and in February 2024, Foreign Minister 
     of Greece George Gerapetritis visited Washington, D.C., for 
     the fifth United States-Greece Strategic Dialogue and along 
     with Secretary Blinken, reaffirmed the importance of the 
     United States-Greece relationship and pledged to continue and 
     increase cooperation based on shared values and interests;
       Whereas, in the framework of the fifth United States-Greece 
     Strategic Dialogue, on February 9, 2024, Greece became the 
     35th country to sign onto the Artemis Accords, affirming its 
     commitment to a peaceful, sustainable, and transparent 
     cooperation in space;
       Whereas Greece and the United States have joined their 
     democratic allies in standing in support of Ukraine following 
     Russia's unprovoked invasion and in March 2024, from Odessa, 
     Ukraine, Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis said 
     Greece ``has consistently maintained from the very first 
     moment, because in the 21st century no war can bleed the 
     heart of Europe, nor can violate the defined borders and 
     territorial integrity of an independent country'';
       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 remains an integral part of the European 
     Union;
       Whereas the Greek-American community has greatly 
     contributed to American society and has helped forge the 
     strong ties between the United States and Greece;
       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 peoples of Greece and the United 
     States; and
       Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to 
     celebrate March 25, 2024, 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 sincere congratulations and best wishes to the 
     people of Greece as they celebrate the 203rd anniversary of 
     the independence of Greece;
       (2) expresses support for the principles of democratic 
     governance to which the people of Greece are committed;
       (3) commends the Greek-American community for its 
     contributions to the United States and its role as a bridge 
     between the two countries;
       (4) notes the important role that Greece has played in the 
     wider European region and in the community of nations since 
     gaining its independence 203 years ago;
       (5) appreciates the ever-stronger bilateral relationship, 
     based on shared values and interests, including the important 
     energy partnership that exists between the United States and 
     Greece, and the important role that Greece plays in 
     bolstering European energy security; and
       (6) commends Greece's support for the people of Ukraine in 
     their fight for freedom against Russian aggression.

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