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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 610 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 610

Recognizing that for 50 years, the Republic of Fiji 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 Republic of Fiji 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 Fiji became independent of the United Kingdom on October 10, 1970;
Whereas Fiji is a valued security partner of the United States, participating in 
        the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program, which 
        sends members of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to professional 
        military education courses in the United States;
Whereas the Republic of Fiji Military Forces deployed to Australia in January 
        2020 to assist with the Australian bushfires and look to contribute to 
        future United Nations peacekeeping operations;
Whereas Fiji participates in workshops sponsored by United States Indo-Pacific 
        Command covering international humanitarian law, humanitarian assistance 
        and disaster relief (HADR), maritime security, peacekeeping, and search 
        and rescue operations;
Whereas, since signing a shiprider agreement with Fiji in 2019, the United 
        States has hosted Fijian shipriders on United States Navy and Coast 
        Guard vessels;
Whereas the United States Government supports strengthening cooperative 
        activities with the Government of Fiji, including sustainable fisheries 
        management and those authorized by the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act 
        of 2018 (Public Law 115-109);
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 Fiji;
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 Fiji;
Whereas Fiji restored democratic governance in 2014;
Whereas over 30,000 United States citizens trace their roots to Fiji, and many 
        of these reside in California;
Whereas Fiji has hosted the Peace Corps since 1968;
Whereas Des Plaines, Illinois, and Nailuva, Fiji, are sister cities, a broad-
        based, long-term partnership to promote peace through mutual respect, 
        understanding, and cooperation centered on people-to-people exchanges; 
        and
Whereas the Nevada National Guard entered into a State Partnership Program with 
        Fiji in 2019: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the Republic of Fiji on a successful return to 
        democracy and 2 elections deemed to be free and fair by 
        international observers;
            (2) supports and affirms the full implementation of 
        provisions of the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 
        (Public Law 115-409) with regard to deepening its cooperation 
        with Fiji in areas of mutual interest, including fisheries and 
        marine resource conservation, environmental challenges and 
        resilience, global health, development and trade, and people-
        to-people ties, as well as continuing United States assistance, 
        as appropriate, to support the rule of law, good governance, 
        and economic development; and
            (3) recognizes Fiji's participation in multinational 
        security forces and multilateral institutions, including the 
        United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World 
        Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the International Atomic 
        Energy Agency, the World Trade Organization, the Pacific 
        Community, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional 
        Environmental Programme, and the Pacific Islands Forum.
                                 <all>
```