III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 40 

Welcoming the Prime Minister of Greece to the United States for an address 

to a joint meeting of Congress. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 17, 2022 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. RISCH) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Welcoming the Prime Minister of Greece to the United States 

for an address to a joint meeting of Congress. 

Whereas the concept of democracy—that the people have the 

power to govern—was developed in ancient Greece; 

Whereas the United States and Greece have enjoyed more 

than 150 years of diplomatic relations and share deep 

cultural connections and values; 

Whereas the United States and Greece have been partners 

and allies in all major international conflicts throughout 

modern history; 

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 the Soviet Union; 


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•SCON 40 IS 

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 the metropolitan area of Mariupol, Ukraine, where 

forces of the Russian Federation have committed unconscionable war crimes against the local population during 

the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by President Vladimir 

Putin, is home to approximately 120,000 ethnic Greeks; 

Whereas, after forces of the Russian Federation bombed a 

hospital in Ukraine on March 9, 2022, Prime Minister of 

Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, on March 18, 2022, 

‘‘Greece is ready to rebuild the maternity hospital in 

Mariupol, the center of Greek minority in Ukraine, a city 

dear to our hearts and the symbol of barbarity of the 

war’’; 

Whereas Greece has sent at least 4 humanitarian aid shipments to Ukraine, including non-perishable food, bottled 

water, antiseptics, medical supplies, and power generators; 

Whereas Greece has provided Ukraine with security assistance, including Kalashnikov rifles and portable rocket 

launchers; 

Whereas membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has further enhanced cooperation between 

the United States and Greece; 

Whereas Greece is an integral part of the European Union; 

Whereas the commitment of the United States and Greece to 

security cooperation led to the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement Between the Government of the United 


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•SCON 40 IS 

States of America and the Government of the Hellenic 

Republic, done at Athens July 8, 1990, which was updated in 2021 to enhance defense ties between the countries and promote stability in southeastern Europe; 

Whereas the Greek port of Alexandroupoli has been instrumental in allowing the United States to help reinforce the 

eastern flank of NATO and deter further aggression by 

the Russian Federation against allies and partners of the 

United States; 

Whereas the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit of 

Alexandroupoli, recently inaugurated, will contribute significantly to energy diversification of Greece and southeastern Europe, especially in light of the invasion of 

Ukraine by the Russian Federation; 

Whereas the United States has demonstrated its support for 

the trilateral partnership of Greece, Israel, and Cyprus 

by enacting into law the Eastern Mediterranean Security 

and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 (title II of division 

J of Public Law 116–94) and through joint engagement 

with Greece, Israel, and Cyprus in the 3+1 format; 

Whereas this support was bolstered in the United StatesGreece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act 

of 2021 (subtitle B of title XIII of Public Law 117–81), 

establishing a 3+1 Interparliamentary Group to discuss 

the expansion of cooperation in other areas of common 

concern; 

Whereas the United States is home to a robust Greek-American community of approximately 3,000,000 people, who 

meaningfully contribute to the cultural fabric of the 

United States; and 


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•SCON 40 IS 

Whereas the Speaker of the House has invited Prime Minister Mitsotakis to address a joint meeting of Congress 

on May 17, 2022: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That the Senate— 

3 (1) warmly welcomes Prime Minister of Greece 

4 Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the United States; 

5 (2) eagerly anticipates the address of Prime 

6 Minister Mitsotakis before a joint meeting of Con7 gress; 

8 (3) appreciates the historic and present role of 

9 Greece in the defense of democracy, including 

10 through the provision of support to Ukraine amid 

11 the ongoing brutal and unprovoked invasion by the 

12 Russian Federation; 

13 (4) commits to a continued partnership with 

14 Greece to bolster energy cooperation through the 

15 3+1 format and help accelerate energy security in 

16 Europe; 

17 (5) reaffirms the steadfast and bipartisan sup18 port for the friendship between the people and Gov19 ernments of the United States and Greece; and 

20 (6) appreciates the important role that Greek21 Americans play in supporting the strong bonds that 

22 exist between the United States and Greece. 

Æ 


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