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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 569 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 569

   Recognizing the 111th anniversary of the independence of Bulgaria.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2019

 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Rice of 
South Carolina, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Walorski, Mr. Thompson 
  of Pennsylvania, Mr. Turner, Mr. Posey, Mr. Webster of Florida, Mr. 
   Bishop of Utah, Mr. Murphy of North Carolina, Mr. Bishop of North 
 Carolina, Mr. Timmons, Mr. Connolly, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Deutch, and Mr. 
 Garamendi) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Recognizing the 111th anniversary of the independence of Bulgaria.

Whereas on September 22, 1908, Bulgaria proclaimed its independence to become a 
        full-fledged sovereign state under the name of the Kingdom of Bulgaria;
Whereas this Act marked the end of a long and dedicated struggle the Bulgarian 
        people waged against their ages-long foreign occupier, the Ottoman 
        Empire, which conquered the medieval Bulgarian state in the 14th 
        Century;
Whereas although liberated in 1878, Bulgaria remained divided and dependent on 
        its former ruler;
Whereas with the proclamation of independence over 100 years ago, Bulgaria took 
        its rightful place among the family of nations and secured for its 
        citizens in its Constitution of 1991 the right to life, freedom, and 
        property;
Whereas the Republic of Bulgaria is a democratic nation, a strong defender of 
        freedom and human rights, and a staunch ally of the United States;
Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations with the Republic of 
        Bulgaria on September 19, 1903;
Whereas the United States acknowledges the courage of the Bulgarian people in 
        deciding to pursue a free, democratic, and independent Bulgaria and 
        their steadfast perseverance in building a society based on the rule of 
        law, respect for human rights, and a free market economy;
Whereas the people of the Republic of Bulgaria strive to preserve and continue 
        their tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance;
Whereas the Bulgarian Parliament, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, King Boris III, 
        politicians, intellectuals, and citizens all played a part in the 
        resistance to Nazi pressure to carry out the deportation of Jews living 
        in Bulgaria;
Whereas in the spring of 1943 the Bulgarian people successfully prevented the 
        deportation of 50,000 Jews to concentration camps;
Whereas Bulgaria experienced its first free election after the end of the Cold 
        War in June 1990;
Whereas North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) heads of state and member 
        governments, meeting in Prague on November 21, 2002, invited Bulgaria 
        into NATO after verified reforms of Bulgaria's political, economic, and 
        military systems were completed in preparation for membership;
Whereas Bulgaria was accepted as a member of NATO in April 2004, and has shown 
        determination in enacting the continued reforms necessary to be a 
        productive, contributing member of the Alliance;
Whereas Bulgaria has made vital contributions to the security of the NATO 
        alliance, including through its important role in the security of the 
        Black Sea;
Whereas Bulgaria was welcomed into the European Union in January 2007;
Whereas the World Bank classified Bulgaria as one of the top 10 nations to have 
        undertaken important economic reforms to attract business investment;
Whereas Bulgaria is the only European Union nation to be listed in the top 10 of 
        the World Bank's classification as of 2018;
Whereas Bulgaria has promoted stability in the Balkans by rendering support to 
        Operation Allied Force and Operation Joint Guardian led by NATO, and by 
        providing peacekeeping troops to the Stabilization Force in Bosnia and 
        Herzegovina (SFOR) and to the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo;
Whereas Bulgaria hosts one of eight NATO Force Integration Units to better 
        enable collective security on the European continent;
Whereas Bulgaria is increasing its defense expenditures and expenditures on 
        equipment in keeping with the 2014 Wales Pledge, including by purchasing 
        F-16s to reduce reliance on Russian and old Soviet equipment and better 
        integrate with NATO forces;
Whereas Bulgaria initiated a historic strengthening of military relations by 
        inviting the United States Armed Forces to begin conducting joint 
        exercises with its forces in Bulgaria, the first voluntary defense 
        cooperation agreement with foreign troops throughout Bulgarian history, 
        including the 1,300 years before its declaration of independence; and
Whereas Bulgaria stood firmly by the United States in the cause of advancing 
        freedom worldwide during its tenure as a nonpermanent member of the 
        United Nations Security Council: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) values the close relationship between the United States 
        and the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as the friendship between 
        the American and Bulgarian peoples;
            (2) commends the Republic of Bulgaria for its efforts to 
        strengthen relations with the United States over the past 111 
        years;
            (3) recognizes the continued contributions of Bulgaria 
        toward bringing peace, stability, and prosperity to the region 
        of Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea, including its 
        contributions to regional security and democratic stability;
            (4) salutes the important contributions of Bulgaria as a 
        valuable ally in countering Russian aggression and economic 
        coercion, supporting NATO's mission in Afghanistan, and 
        combatting international terrorism; and
            (5) encourages opportunities for greater cooperation 
        between the United States and Bulgaria in the political, 
        military, economic, and cultural spheres.
                                 <all>
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