III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 342 

Congratulating the people of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic 

on the 30th anniversary of their independence and recognizing their 

substantial support to Ukraine against Russian aggression. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Mrs. SHAHEEN, and Mr. RICKETTS) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Congratulating the people of the Czech Republic and the 

Slovak Republic on the 30th anniversary of their independence and recognizing their substantial support to 

Ukraine against Russian aggression. 

Whereas, 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, contributing to the 

support of an independent Czech and Slovak nation 

State; 

Whereas the peoples of the present-day Czech Republic and 

Slovak Republic proclaimed independence on October 28, 

1918, and October 30, 1918, respectively, forming the 

common state of the Republic of Czechoslovakia; 


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•SRES 342 IS 

Whereas, on November 12, 1918, the United States and 

Czechoslovakia established formal diplomatic relations; 

Whereas, in February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia seized power from the democratically elected 

Government of Czechoslovakia; 

Whereas, on August 20, 1968, 20 Soviet and Warsaw Pact 

military divisions invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the 

Prague Spring, a period of increased political and economic liberty following the appointment of Alexander 

Dubcek as First Secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party; 

Whereas, in the nonviolent Velvet Revolution of November 

1989, the peoples of both nations overthrew 40 years of 

totalitarian communist rule and ended two decades of Soviet occupation; 

Whereas, after the Velvet Revolution, the peoples of Czechoslovakia established vibrant, pluralistic, democratic political systems based on free-market economics, freedom of 

speech, a free press, free and fair elections, the rule of 

law, and respect for human rights—values embodied by 

Va ́clav Havel, the first president of Czechoslovakia after 

the fall of communism in that country; 

Whereas, on February 21, 1990, Czechoslovak President 

Va ́clav Havel delivered his historic address before the 

joint session of the United States Congress on Czechoslovakia’s path to democracy; 

Whereas, on January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic and the 

Slovak Republic were formally created as independent nation states after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia; 


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•SRES 342 IS 

Whereas the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, owing 

to substantial support from the United States, joined the 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on March 

12, 1999, and March 29, 2004, respectively, and have 

made significant contributions to collective defense and 

the operations of NATO 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 democracy, free trade, respect for human rights, international peace and security, and the rules-based international order through their membership in the European 

Union 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, free trade, respect for human rights, international 

peace and security, and the rules-based international 

order; 

Whereas, in 2023, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the National 

Guard State Partnership Program with the National 

Guards of Texas, Nebraska, and Indiana, a program 

which has contributed to military readiness and interoperability between the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic; 

Whereas the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic stand united in support of the people and 

Government of Ukraine against Russia’s unjustified and 

unprovoked invasion of Ukraine; and 


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•SRES 342 IS 

Whereas the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic are major contributors to political, humanitarian, economic, and military assistance to Ukraine: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commends the peoples of the Czech Repub3 lic and the Slovak Republic for overthrowing totali4 tarian communist rule in 1989 and asserting their 

5 right to self-determination and affirming their alle6 giance to the values of democracy, free-market eco7 nomics, and respect for human rights through the 

8 peaceful, nonviolent Velvet Revolution; 

9 (2) celebrates the lasting contributions of the 

10 Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic to science, 

11 the arts, culture, music, literature, politics, trade, 

12 and international affairs; 

13 (3) applauds the achievements of the Czech Re14 public and the Slovak Republic in building free, 

15 open, democratic, and prosperous societies over the 

16 past 30 years; 

17 (4) congratulates the peoples of the Czech Re18 public and the Slovak Republic on the 30th anniver19 sary of their independence and the 105th anniver20 sary of diplomatic relations between the United 

21 States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic; 


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•SRES 342 IS 

1 (5) congratulates the Czech Republic and the 

2 Slovak Republic for their leadership in the European 

3 Union; 

4 (6) expresses gratitude for the solidarity of the 

5 Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic as they 

6 stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in 

7 their fight against Russia’s brutal, unprovoked, and 

8 illegal invasion; 

9 (7) reaffirms the historical and transnational 

10 ties that bind together the countries and peoples of 

11 the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, and the 

12 United States as freedom-loving peoples and mem13 bers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; 

14 (8) recognizes the importance of the United 

15 States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic 

16 partnership, as long-standing partners and as 

17 NATO allies, in addressing common threats and 

18 challenges, including in the areas of climate change, 

19 energy security, advanced technologies, cyber secu20 rity, and resilience to disinformation and hybrid 

21 threats; 

22 (9) applauds the commitment of the Czech Re23 public and the Slovak Republic to spend two percent 

24 of their gross domestic products on defense by 2024, 


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•SRES 342 IS 

1 an important commitment they have made as NATO 

2 allies; and 

3 (10) expresses the United States commitment 

4 to further strengthen transatlantic ties and regional 

5 security through NATO, supports a faster pace of 

6 modernization of the Czech and Slovak armed forces 

7 in light of the clear threat to transatlantic peace and 

8 security posed by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, 

9 and reaffirms commitment to continue working to 

10 address new and emerging threats to our security, 

11 including the People’s Republic of China, the Rus12 sian Federation, and other authoritarian actors. 

Æ 


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