III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 95 

Recognizing the 198th anniversary of the independence of Greece and 

celebrating democracy in Greece and the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 5, 2019 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. GARDNER, 

Mr. MURPHY, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. ENZI, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. 

BRAUN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. JOHNSON, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. TILLIS, 

Mr. DURBIN, Mr. REED, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. BROWN, Mr. COONS, 

Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. HASSAN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. CASEY, Mr. 

PETERS, Mr. CARPER, Mr. BENNET, and Mr. BOOKER) submitted the 

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

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 198th 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; 


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•SRES 95 IS 

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 that ‘‘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 its history as a 

modern state; 

Whereas Greece is a strategic partner and ally of the United 

States in bringing political stability and economic development to the Balkan region, having invested billions of 

dollars in the countries of the region and having contribVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Mar 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR95.IS SR95

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uted 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 Secretary of State Michael Pompeo hosted Acting 

Greek Foreign Minister George Katrougalos in a United 

States-Greece Strategic Dialogue on December 13, 2018, 

that underscored Greece’s importance to the United 

States as a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and Balkans and as an important NATO ally; 

Whereas the eastern Mediterranean trilateral partnership of 

Greece, Israel, and Cyprus is increasingly important to 

United States interests, and each country’s strong relationship with the United States, as well as the prospect 

of an Eastern Mediterranean pipeline enabling safe 

transmission of gas to Western Europe, is critical to security and energy stability; 

Whereas the United States was the honored country at 

Greece’s premier Thessaloniki International Fair on September 8–16, 2018; 

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; 


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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 

Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to 

celebrate March 25, 2019, 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 198th 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 


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1 (3) notes the important role that Greece has 

2 played in the wider European region and in the com3 munity of nations since gaining its independence 

4 198 years ago. 

Æ 


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