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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 749 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 749

 Supporting 30 years of diplomatic relations between the United States 
 and the independent Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, highlighting 
   their assistance to Ukraine, and supporting continued democratic 
                              resiliency.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 29, 2023

 Mr. Keating (for himself and Mr. Wilson of South Carolina) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Supporting 30 years of diplomatic relations between the United States 
 and the independent Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, highlighting 
   their assistance to Ukraine, and supporting continued democratic 
                              resiliency.

Whereas the United States has been enriched by the Czechs, Slovaks, and others 
        who emigrated to the United States from the territories of what are 
        today the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, and continues to benefit 
        from the strong ties between and among the citizens of our countries;
Whereas Slovaks and Czechs in the United States called for a Czechoslovak state 
        to be established in the 1915 Cleveland Agreement and the 1918 
        Pittsburgh Agreement;
Whereas the United States profoundly contributed to the founding of an 
        independent Czech-Slovak state when, on January 8, 1918, President 
        Woodrow Wilson called for the free ``autonomous development'' of the 
        peoples of Austria-Hungary in the ``Fourteen Points'' address to a joint 
        session of Congress;
Whereas the people of the present-day Czech Republic and the people of the 
        present-day Slovak Republic proclaimed independence on October 28, 1918, 
        and October 30, 1918, respectively, forming the common state of the 
        Republic of Czechoslovakia;
Whereas, on November 12, 1918, the United States and an independent 
        Czechoslovakia established formal diplomatic relations;
Whereas Czechoslovakia maintained its democracy throughout the interwar period 
        until the Nazi invasion in 1938;
Whereas, in February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia seized power 
        from the postwar democratically elected Government of Czechoslovakia;
Whereas, on August 20, 1968, 20 Soviet-led Warsaw Pact military divisions 
        invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the ``Prague Spring'', a period of 
        greater political and economic liberty that followed the appointment of 
        Alexander Dubcek as First Secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist 
        Party;
Whereas the independent civic initiative Charter 77 was established in 1977 and 
        called on the Czechoslovak Government to fulfill its human rights 
        commitments under the Helsinki Final Act, and many of its members played 
        decisive roles in the Velvet Revolution;
Whereas, in the nonviolent Velvet Revolution of November 1989, the peoples of 
        both nations overthrew 40 years of authoritarian communist rule and 
        ended two decades of Soviet occupation;
Whereas, on February 21, 1990, Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel delivered his 
        historic address before a joint session of Congress saying, in part, 
        that Czechoslovakia is a country ``that has set out on the road to 
        democracy, a country where there is complete freedom of speech, which is 
        getting ready for free elections and which wants to create a prosperous 
        market economy and its own foreign policy'';
Whereas, on January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic were 
        formally created as independent states after a peaceful dissolution of 
        Czechoslovakia;
Whereas the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, with the robust support of 
        the United States, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on 
        March 12, 1999, and March 29, 2004, respectively, and have made 
        significant contributions to collective defense and the operations of 
        the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as well as international 
        coalitions led by the United States around the world;
Whereas the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic continue to demonstrate their 
        strong commitment to advancing democratic values, peace, and security 
        through their membership in the European Union, the Organization for 
        Security and Co-operation in Europe, and other international 
        organizations;
Whereas the peoples of the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak 
        Republic have forged a special relationship based on their shared 
        historic ties, mutual respect, close cooperation, and the shared values 
        of democracy, the rule of law, economic liberty, and individual rights 
        and responsibility;
Whereas vibrant Czech and Slovak diasporas have positively contributed to 
        society in the United States;
Whereas the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic celebrate the 30th 
        anniversary of the National Guard State Partnership Program with the 
        Texas, Nebraska, and Indiana National Guards, respectively, which has 
        contributed to military readiness and interoperability between the 
        United States and both the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic;
Whereas the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic have completed significant 
        democratic reforms enabling political systems and societies which 
        respect the rule of law, freedom of speech and assembly, free and fair 
        elections, and other democratic values; and
Whereas the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic have shown unity in their 
        support for Ukraine's fight against Russia's unjust and illegal war of 
        aggression, and both countries have contributed significant military, 
        humanitarian, and economic assistance to Ukraine in support of a free 
        and democratic Ukraine: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports a democratic and independent Czech Republic 
        and Slovak Republic, both of whom, 30 years ago, emerged from 
        decades of communist rule through the peaceful, nonviolent 
        Velvet Revolution to affirm their human rights and democratic 
        aspirations;
            (2) recognizes actions of the people of the Czech Republic 
        and the Slovak Republic for overthrowing totalitarian communist 
        rule in 1989 by waging a peaceful, nonviolent Velvet Revolution 
        to affirm human rights and democratic aspirations;
            (3) celebrates the lasting contributions of the peoples of 
        Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic to science, the arts, 
        culture, music, literature, politics, trade, and international 
        affairs;
            (4) applauds the achievements of the Czech Republic and the 
        Slovak Republic in building free, open, democratic, and 
        prosperous societies over the past 30 years;
            (5) expresses strong support of the Czech Republic and 
        Slovak Republic's role in the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization alliance and calls on both countries to continue 
        their efforts to meet their 2 percent defense commitment and 
        recognizes the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic as strong 
        North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners on the alliance's 
        eastern flank;
            (6) recognizes the efforts of the Czech Republic and the 
        Slovak Republic to stand with the people of Ukraine in their 
        fight for freedom against illegal Russian aggression and 
        provide significant military, humanitarian, and economic 
        support to Ukraine;
            (7) recognizes the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic for 
        their constitutions within the European Union;
            (8) reaffirms United States support for the freedom, human 
        rights, democracy, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and 
        prosperity of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic;
            (9) supports municipal-level cooperation including through 
        organizations like the Pact of Free Cities, which highlights 
        the importance of cities in protecting and promoting democratic 
        values, sharing best practices, and finding practical solutions 
        to best serve citizens;
            (10) supports increased cooperation through the United 
        States-Czech Strategic Dialogue and the United States-Slovak 
        Strategic Dialogue to address common threats and challenges 
        including in the defense and energy sectors, climate change, 
        regional security, cyber security, and resilience to 
        disinformation;
            (11) supports modernization of the Czech and Slovak Armed 
        Forces in light of Russia's illegal aggression in Ukraine and 
        increased emerging threats in the region;
            (12) commends the Czech Republic's and Slovak Republic's 
        strong support of democratic partners in the face of attempted 
        Chinese malign influence in Europe and ongoing hostile behavior 
        by the People's Republic of China; and
            (13) reaffirms the United States commitment to 
        strengthening and supporting freedom of the press, civil 
        society, and rule of law in Central Europe.
                                 <all>
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