[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2758-2759]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   LITHUANIA COMMEMORATIVE RESOLUTION

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, March 11, 2010, the people of Lithuania 
celebrate the 20th anniversary of the reestablishment of the State of 
Lithuania.
  Yesterday, the Senate passed a resolution that I, along with Senator 
Cardin and Senator Wicker, submitted to commemorate this occasion.
  An ancient and noble state, mentioned as far back as 1009, 
Lithuanians have long revered their independence. On February 16, 1918, 
the Act of Independence of Lithuania led to the establishment of 
Lithuania as a sovereign and democratic state.
  During World War II, under the German-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, 
Cooperation and Demarcation, Lithuania was forcibly incorporated into 
the Soviet Union in violation of preexisting peace treaties. During 50 
years of Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, the United States 
Congress consistently refused to legally recognize the incorporation of 
Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania into the Soviet Union.

[[Page 2759]]

  On March 11, 1990, the Republic of Lithuania was restored, and 
Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare independence. A 
little over a year later, the U.S. Government formally recognized 
Lithuania as an independent and sovereign nation. This year the U.S. 
Government and the Government of Lithuania celebrate 88 years of 
continuous diplomatic relations.
  Lithuania is a strong, free market democracy and a full member of the 
United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe, the European Union, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 
In 2009 Lithuania assumed Presidency of the Community of Democracies.
  Lithuania also plays an important part in maintaining international 
peace and stability in Europe and around the world and participates in 
international civilian and military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, 
Bosnia, Kosovo and Georgia.
  When I traveled to Lithuania again last year, I was proud not only of 
my heritage, but to see how far Lithuania has come, despite the many 
difficulties it endured in the last century. My congratulations to 
President Dalia Grybauskaite, Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, and the 
people of Lithuania on this historic occasion.

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