[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6811]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE JOINT BALTIC AMERICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. THADDEUS G. McCOTTER

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 5, 2011

  Mr. McCOTTER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the Joint Baltic 
American National Committee, an organization founded 50 years ago to 
advocate for democracy in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and 
Lithuania, and to foster a strong relationship between those countries 
and the United States.
  Founded at the height of the Cold War on April 27, 1961, the Joint 
Baltic American National Committee has been a powerful advocate for 
democracy and independence for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. After 
years of oppression and occupation by the Communist regime in the 
Soviet Union, the Baltic countries finally restored their sovereignty 
and regained independence in the early 1990s. Since that time, the 
Committee has worked to strengthen the relationship between those 
nations and the United States and to scrutinize Russian policy towards 
its neighbors in Eastern Europe.
  Importantly, the Joint Baltic American National Committee was and 
continues to be a strong proponent of membership for Eastern European 
nations into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the 
European Union (EU). When the Baltic countries became members of both 
organizations in 2004, the Committee focused more of its attention on 
promoting democracy in Belarus, where Alexander Lukashenko continues to 
cling to power and oppress his people. Moreover, because of Russia's 
use of its energy resources as a weapon against its neighbors and the 
violation of Georgian sovereignty by the Russian military, the 
Committee has reinforced its work in support of a resilient security 
partnership between the countries of Eastern Europe and the United 
States. Today, the Committee continues to advocate for a strong U.S. 
role in the region, to promote democracy and human rights worldwide, 
and to bear witness to the legacy of communism.
  Mr. Speaker, the Joint Baltic American National Committee has served 
the Baltic countries and their citizens with distinction. As we 
congratulate the Committee on reaching its 50th year in existence, I 
ask my colleagues to join me in remembering and honoring its work on 
behalf of the free people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the 
American citizens of Baltic heritage, and democracy for all of those 
still yearning to be free.

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