III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 81 

Recognizing the 196th anniversary of the independence of Greece and 

celebrating democracy in Greece and the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 6, 2017 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. CASEY, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. COONS, Mr. REED, Mr. RUBIO, 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. VAN

HOLLEN, Mr. BENNET, Mr. CARPER, Mr. NELSON, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. 

PETERS, Mr. BROWN, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. DONNELLY, Mr. PERDUE, Mrs. 

GILLIBRAND, Mr. ENZI, Mr. GARDNER, and Ms. STABENOW) submitted 

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

Relations 

MARCH 21, 2017 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 196th 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 


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SRES 81 ATS 

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 

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 heroically resisted Axis forces at a crucial 

moment in World War II, forcing Adolf Hitler to change 

his timeline and delaying the attack on Russia; 

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 the people of Greece were 

killed during World War II; 

Whereas Greece consistently allied with the United States in 

major international conflicts throughout the 20th century; 

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 Sep 11 2014 21:59 Mar 21, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR81.ATS SR81

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SRES 81 ATS 

lions of dollars in the countries of the region 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; 

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 Greece remains an integral part of the European 

Union; 

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; 

Whereas those efforts and similar ideals have forged a close 

bond between the people of Greece and the United 

States; and 


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Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to 

celebrate March 25, 2017, 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 196th 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 

11 196 years ago. 

Æ 


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