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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 581 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 581

    Congratulating the people of the Republic of Turkey and Turkish 
             Americans nationwide on Turkish Republic Day.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 24, 2017

Mr. Bacon submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
    Congratulating the people of the Republic of Turkey and Turkish 
             Americans nationwide on Turkish Republic Day.

Whereas every year on October 29, the people of Turkey and Turkish Americans 
        celebrate Turkish Republic Day, commemorating the day when Turkey became 
        a republic;
Whereas, on October 29, 1923, the Republic of Turkey was formally established 
        and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the visionary leader of modern Turkey, became 
        its first President;
Whereas Anatolia, home of the Republic of Turkey, has been a cradle of 
        civilizations for millennia;
Whereas James Madison and the Founding Fathers of America took inspiration from 
        Patara, Turkey, the city state of the Lycian Confederation, in drafting 
        the Constitution of the United States;
Whereas Turkey has the 17th largest economy in the world;
Whereas in 2016, United States trade in goods with Turkey exceeded 
        $9,300,000,000 in exports and $8,000,000,000 in imports;
Whereas Turkey, located in a critical region of the world between East and West 
        with a population of nearly 80,000,000, commands the second largest 
        military in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and partners 
        with the United States in the fields of energy diversification, 
        counterterrorism, and drug and human trafficking prevention;
Whereas Turkey is actively contributing to the fight against DAESH/ISIS, through 
        providing its military facilities to the United States and other 
        coalition partners;
Whereas the conflict in neighboring Syria has especially burdened Turkey, which 
        has taken in and provided shelter, relief, and social services to more 
        than 3,000,000 refugees fleeing the horrors of the Assad regime;
Whereas, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 
        Turkey is now the highest refugee-hosting country in the world;
Whereas Turkish Americans are an important part of the fabric of the United 
        States, as evinced by their contributions to the arts, science, 
        academia, law, business, and political life of this country;
Whereas Turkish Americans serve as goodwill ambassadors promoting greater 
        understanding between the United States and Turkey, by informing the 
        people of the United States about their rich Turkish cultural heritage, 
        and the importance of the strategic partnership to advance mutual 
        interests between the United States and Turkey; and
Whereas the United States and Turkey have been close friends and allies for more 
        than half a century, sharing common values of democracy, diversity, 
        tolerance, social mobility, and the separation of religious and civic 
        life: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the Republic of Turkey as an important 
        security partner of the United States;
            (2) expresses appreciation for Turkey's contribution to 
        global efforts to combat DAESH/ISIS;
            (3) acknowledges the unique political, economic, and social 
        challenges confronting the people of Turkey from the influx of 
        refugees that the ongoing conflicts in neighboring Syria and 
        Iraq have caused;
            (4) commends the productive contributions of the Turkish 
        American community to the United States; and
            (5) congratulates the people of Turkey and Turkish 
        Americans nationwide on Turkish Republic Day.
                                 <all>
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