III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 611 

Recognizing that for 50 years, the Kingdom of Tonga has worked with 

the United States toward stability, prosperity, and peace in the Pacific 

and beyond, and expressing the sense of the Senate that the United 

States will continue to remain a strong, reliable, and active partner 

in the Pacific. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 8, 2020 

Mr. GARDNER (for himself and Ms. HIRONO) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing that for 50 years, the Kingdom of Tonga has 

worked with the United States toward stability, prosperity, and peace in the Pacific and beyond, and expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States will 

continue to remain a strong, reliable, and active partner 

in the Pacific. 

Whereas Tonga’s Queen Salote Tupou III negotiated for the 

end of British protectorate status for her nation and 

transition to Commonwealth membership, which bore 

fruit in 1970; 

Whereas Tonga is a valued security partner of the United 

States, and the Tongan Defense Services deployed four 

contingents to Iraq between 2004 and 2008; 


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•SRES 611 IS 

Whereas, in the coming year, the United States is committed 

to deepening this relationship through security cooperation, including hosting Tongan defense forces for International Military Education and Training (IMET) programs; 

Whereas the United States Government supports many cooperative activities with the Government of Tonga in sustainable fisheries management and development assistance, including those authorized by the Asia Reassurance 

Initiative Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–409); 

Whereas section 1252 of the National Defense Authorization 

Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116–92) expands 

the number of countries that receive assistance under the 

Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative, including 

Tonga; 

Whereas a peaceful, prosperous, and open Indo-Pacific rooted 

in a rule-based order that promotes security, opportunity, 

and dignity to all peoples benefits the people of both the 

United States and the Kingdom of Tonga; 

Whereas the Kingdom of Tonga, a constitutional monarchy, 

took steps towards democratic governance beginning in 

2010; 

Whereas over 50,000 United States citizens trace their roots 

to the Kingdom of Tonga, and many of these reside in 

the States of Utah, California, and Hawaii; 

Whereas Tonga has hosted the Peace Corps since 1967; and 

Whereas the Nevada National Guard entered into a State 

Partnership Program with Tonga in 2014: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 611 IS 

1 (1) commends the Kingdom of Tonga on a suc2 cessful transition to a constitutional monarchy and 

3 3 elections deemed to be free and fair by inter4 national observers; 

5 (2) supports and affirms the full implementa6 tion of provisions of the Asia Reassurance Initiative 

7 Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–409) with regard to 

8 deepening its cooperation with Tonga in areas of 

9 mutual interest, including fisheries and marine re10 source conservation, environmental challenges and 

11 resilience, global health, development and trade, peo12 ple-to-people ties, and continuing United States as13 sistance, as appropriate, to support the rule of law, 

14 good governance, and economic development; and 

15 (3) recognizes Tonga’s participation in multi16 national security forces and multilateral institutions 

17 including the United Nations, International Mone18 tary Fund, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, 

19 International Atomic Energy Agency, the World 

20 Trade Organization, the Pacific Community, the 

21 Secretariat of the Regional Environmental Pro22 gramme, and the Pacific Islands Forum. 

Æ 


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