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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1405 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1405

 Congratulating the Republic of Latvia on the 90th anniversary of its 
                      declaration of independence.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2008

 Mr. Shimkus (for himself, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Gallegly, and Mr. Wexler) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Congratulating the Republic of Latvia on the 90th anniversary of its 
                      declaration of independence.

Whereas on November 18, 1918, in the City of Riga, the members of the People's 
        Council proclaimed Latvia a free, democratic, and sovereign nation;
Whereas on July 24, 1922, the United States formally recognized Latvia as an 
        independent and sovereign nation;
Whereas Latvia existed for 21 years as an independent and sovereign nation and a 
        fully recognized member of the League of Nations;
Whereas Latvia maintained friendly and stable relations with its neighbors, 
        including the Soviet Union, during its independence, without any border 
        disputes;
Whereas Latvia concluded several peace treaties and protocols with the Soviet 
        Union, including a peace treaty signed on August 11, 1920, under which 
        the ``Soviet Union unreservedly recognize[d] the independence and 
        sovereignty of the Latvian State and forever renounce[d] all sovereign 
        rights . . . over the Latvian people and territory'';
Whereas despite friendly and mutually productive relations between Latvia and 
        the Soviet Union, on August 23, 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union 
        signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which contained a secret protocol 
        assigning Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania to the Soviet sphere of 
        influence;
Whereas under the cover of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, on June 17, 1940, 
        Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania were forcibly incorporated into the 
        Soviet Union in violation of preexisting peace treaties;
Whereas the Soviet Union imposed upon the people of Latvia, Estonia, and 
        Lithuania a communist political system that stifled civil dissent, free 
        political expression, and basic human rights;
Whereas the United States never recognized this illegal and forcible occupation, 
        and successive American presidents maintained continuous diplomatic 
        relations with these countries throughout the Soviet occupation, never 
        accepting them to be ``Soviet Republics'';
Whereas during the 50 years of Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, Congress 
        strongly, consistently, and on a bipartisan basis supported a policy of 
        legal nonrecognition;
Whereas in 1953, the congressionally established Kersten Commission investigated 
        the incorporation of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania into the Soviet 
        Union and determined that the Soviet Union had illegally and forcibly 
        occupied and annexed the Baltic countries;
Whereas in 1982, and for the next 9 years until the Baltic countries regained 
        their independence, Congress annually adopted a Baltic Freedom Day 
        resolution denouncing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and appealing for the 
        freedom of the Baltic countries;
Whereas in 1991, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania regained their de facto 
        independence and were quickly recognized by the United States and by 
        almost every other country in the world, including the Soviet Union;
Whereas in 1998, the United States and the 3 Baltic nations signed the United 
        States-Baltic Charter of Partnership, an expression of the importance of 
        the Baltic Sea region to United States interests;
Whereas the 109th Congress resolved in S. Con. Res. 35 and H. Res. 28 that ``it 
        is the sense of Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation 
        should issue a clear and unambiguous statement of admission and 
        condemnation of the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet 
        Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and 
        Lithuania, the consequences of which will be a significant increase in 
        good will among the affected people'';
Whereas Latvia has successfully developed as a free and democratic country, 
        ensured the rule of law, and developed a free market economy;
Whereas the Government of Latvia has constantly pursued a course of integration 
        into the community of free and democratic nations, becoming a full and 
        responsible member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security 
        and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, and the North Atlantic 
        Treaty Organization;
Whereas the people of Latvia cherish the principles of political freedom, human 
        rights, and independence; and
Whereas Latvia is a strong and loyal ally of the United States, and the people 
        of Latvia share common values with the people of the United States: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) congratulates the people of Latvia on the occasion of 
        the 90th anniversary of that country's November 18, 1918, 
        declaration of independence;
            (2) commends the Government of Latvia for its success in 
        implementing political and economic reforms, for establishing 
        political, religious, and economic freedom, and for its strong 
        commitment to human and civil rights; and
            (3) recognizes the common goals and shared values of the 
        people of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, the close and 
        friendly relations and ties of the 3 Baltic countries with one 
        another, and their tragic history in the last century under the 
        Nazi and Soviet occupations.
                                 <all>
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