II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 377 

Recognizing the 193rd anniversary of the independence of Greece and 

celebrating democracy in Greece and the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 10, 2014 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. BARRASSO, and Mrs. SHAHEEN) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 193rd anniversary of the independence of 

Greece and celebrating democracy in Greece and the 

United States. 

Whereas the people of ancient Greece developed the concept 

of democracy, in which the supreme power to govern was 

vested in the people; 

Whereas the founding fathers of the United States, many of 

whom read Greek political philosophy in the original 

Greek language, drew heavily on the political experience 

and philosophy of ancient Greece in forming the representative democracy of the United States; 

Whereas Petros Mavromichalis, the former Commander in 

Chief of Greece and a founder of the modern Greek state, 

said to the citizens of the United States in 1821, ‘‘It is 


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•SRES 377 IS 

in your land that liberty has fixed her abode and . . . in 

imitating you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be 

thought worthy of them if we succeed in resembling 

you.’’; 

Whereas the Greek national anthem, the ‘‘Hymn to Liberty’’, 

includes the words, ‘‘most heartily was gladdened George 

Washington’s brave land’’; 

Whereas the people of the United States generously offered 

humanitarian assistance to the people of Greece during 

their struggle for independence; 

Whereas Greece, in one of the most consequential ‘‘David vs. 

Goliath’’ victories for freedom and democracy in modern 

times, refused to surrender to the Axis forces and inflicted a fatal wound at a crucial moment in World War 

II, forcing Adolf Hitler to change his timeline and delaying the attack on Russia, where the Axis forces met defeat; 

Whereas Winston Churchill said, ‘‘if there had not been the 

virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which 

the outcome of World War II would have been’’ and ‘‘no 

longer will we say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that 

heroes fight like Greeks’’; 

Whereas hundreds of thousands of people of Greece were 

killed in Greece during World War II in defense of the 

values of the Allies; 

Whereas, throughout the 20th century, Greece was one of a 

few countries that allied with the United States in every 

major international conflict; 

Whereas Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the United 

States in bringing political stability and economic development to the volatile Balkan region, having invested bilVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:12 Mar 11, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR377.IS SR377

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lions of dollars in the countries of the region, thereby 

helping to create tens of thousands of new jobs, and having contributed more than $750,000,000 in development 

aid for the region; 

Whereas the government and people of Greece actively participate in peacekeeping and peace-building operations 

conducted by international organizations, including the 

United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 

the European Union, and the Organization for Security 

and Co-operation in Europe, and have more recently provided critical support to the operation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Libya; 

Whereas Greece received worldwide praise for its extraordinary handling during the 2004 Olympic Games of more 

than 14,000 athletes and more than 2,000,000 spectators 

and journalists, a feat the government and people of 

Greece handled efficiently, securely, and with hospitality; 

Whereas Greece, located in a region where Christianity meets 

Islam and Judaism, maintains excellent relations with 

Muslim countries and Israel; 

Whereas the Government of Greece has taken important 

steps in recent years to further cross-cultural understanding, rapprochement, and cooperation in various 

fields with Turkey, and has also improved its relations 

with other countries in the region, including Israel, thus 

enhancing the stability of the wider region; 

Whereas the governments and people of Greece and the 

United States are at the forefront of efforts to advance 

freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and human rights; 


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Whereas those efforts and similar ideals have forged a close 

bond between the people of Greece and the United 

States; and 

Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to 

celebrate March 25, 2014, Greek Independence Day, with 

the people of Greece and to reaffirm the democratic principles from which those two great countries were founded: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) extends warm congratulations and best 

3 wishes to the people of Greece as they celebrate the 

4 193rd anniversary of the independence of Greece; 

5 (2) expresses support for the principles of 

6 democratic governance to which the people of Greece 

7 are committed; and 

8 (3) notes the important role that Greece has 

9 played in the wider European region and in the com10 munity of nations since gaining its independence 

11 193 years ago. 

Æ 


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