IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1383 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the independence of Bulgaria. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2008 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. GALLEGLY, 

Mrs. TAUSCHER, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. MCINTYRE, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of 

Texas, Mr. FORBES, Mr. DAVID DAVIS of Tennessee, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, 

Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey, Mr. HAYES, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. 

BOOZMAN, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina, Mr. 

MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida, and Mr. CUELLAR) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the independence of 

Bulgaria. 

Whereas on September 22, 1908, Bulgaria proclaimed its 

independence to become a full-fledged sovereign state 

under the name of the Kingdom of Bulgaria; 

Whereas this act marked the end of a long and dedicated 

struggle the Bulgarian people waged against their ageslong foreign occupier, the Ottoman Empire, which conquered the medieval Bulgarian state in the 14th Century; 

Whereas although liberated in 1878, Bulgaria remained divided and dependent on its formal ruler; 


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•HRES 1383 IH 

Whereas with the proclamation of independence, Bulgaria 

took its rightful place among the family of nations and 

secured for its people, once and forever, the unalienable 

rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; 

Whereas at present, 100 years after having gained its sovereignty and independent statehood, the Republic of Bulgaria is a democratic nation and a staunch ally of the 

United States; 

Whereas Bulgaria shares the universal values of freedom and 

human rights, making its own contribution to a safer and 

better world; 

Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations 

with the Republic of Bulgaria on September 19, 1903; 

Whereas the United States acknowledges the courage of the 

Bulgarian people in deciding to pursue a free, democratic, and independent Bulgaria and their steadfast perseverance in building a society based on the rule of law, 

respect for human rights, and a free market economy; 

Whereas the people of the Republic of Bulgaria strive to preserve and continue their tradition of ethnic and religious 

tolerance; 

Whereas the Bulgarian Parliament, the Bulgarian Orthodox 

Church, King Boris III, politicians, intellectuals, and citizens all played a part in the resistance to Nazi pressure 

to carry out the deportation of Jews living in Bulgaria 

by preventing the deportation of 50,000 Jews to Nazi 

concentration camps; 

Whereas Bulgaria was the only European country during 

World War II to increase its Jewish population; 

Whereas Bulgaria experienced its first free election after the 

end of the Cold War in June 1990; 


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•HRES 1383 IH 

Whereas North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) heads 

of state and member governments, meeting in Prague on 

November 21, 2002, invited Bulgaria into NATO after 

verified reforms of both Bulgaria’s political and economic 

systems were completed in preparation for membership; 

Whereas Bulgaria was accepted as a member of NATO and 

has shown determination in enacting the continued reforms necessary to be a productive, contributing member 

of the Alliance; 

Whereas Bulgaria was welcomed into the European Union in 

January 2007; 

Whereas the World Bank recently classified Bulgaria as one 

of the top 10 nations to have undertaken important economic reforms to attract business investment; 

Whereas Bulgaria is the only European Union nation to be 

listed in the top 10 of the World Bank’s classification; 

Whereas Bulgaria has promoted stability in the Balkans by 

rendering support to Operation Allied Force and Operation Joint Guardian led by the NATO, and by providing 

peacekeeping troops to the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia 

and Herzegovina (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 

and to the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo; 

Whereas at the invitation of the Government of Bulgaria, 

United States Armed Forces will begin joint military activities with Bulgarian military forces in Bulgaria, which 

is the first defense cooperation agreement of its kind in 

the course of over 1,300 years of Bulgarian statehood; 

and 

Whereas Bulgaria has stood firmly by the United States in 

the cause of advancing freedom worldwide during its tenVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:51 Jul 30, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1383.IH HR1383

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•HRES 1383 IH 

ure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations 

Security Council: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commends the Republic of Bulgaria for de3 veloping increasingly friendly and meaningful rela4 tions with the United States over the past 100 

5 years; 

6 (2) recognizes the continued contributions of 

7 Bulgaria toward bringing peace, stability, and pros8 perity to the region of South Eastern Europe, in9 cluding its contributions to regional security and 

10 democratic stability; 

11 (3) salutes the willing cooperation of Bulgaria 

12 and its increasingly vital role as a valuable ally in 

13 the war against international terrorism; and 

14 (4) encourages opportunities for greater co15 operation between the United States and Bulgaria in 

16 the political, military, economic, and cultural 

17 spheres. 

Æ 


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