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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 931 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 931

    Congratulating the people of the Republic of Turkey and Turkish 
  Americans nationwide on Turkish National Sovereignty and Children's 
                                  Day.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2020

 Mr. Cohen (for himself and Ms. Foxx of North Carolina) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
    Congratulating the people of the Republic of Turkey and Turkish 
  Americans nationwide on Turkish National Sovereignty and Children's 
                                  Day.

Whereas, every year on April 23, the people of Turkey and Turkish Americans 
        celebrate Turkish National Sovereignty and Children's Day, commemorating 
        the day when the Turkish Grand National Assembly was founded;
Whereas, on April 23, 1920, the Turkish Grand National Assembly was formally 
        established, and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the visionary leader of modern 
        Turkey, became its first President and led the Turkish national 
        independence movement;
Whereas the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly served, both 
        symbolically and functionally, to ensure that sovereignty was taken from 
        religious rule and the sultan and given to the people;
Whereas Anatolia, home of the Republic of Turkey, has been a cradle of 
        civilizations for millennia;
Whereas James Madison and the Founding Fathers of America took inspiration from 
        Patara, Turkey, the city state of the Lycian Confederation, in drafting 
        the Constitution of the United States;
Whereas Turkey and the United States resumed diplomatic ties, severed by the 
        Ottoman Empire, in February 1927, under the respective leaderships of 
        Presidents Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Calvin Coolidge;
Whereas Ataturk said, in an interview with an American journalist in 1922, that 
        ``[t]he American ideal is our ideal. As you had a declaration of 
        independence, we also have our national pact. Both of these documents 
        are of the same nature; like you, we also wanted independence. Turkey 
        and America are democratic societies. . . . Lincoln and Washington 
        [b]oth worked for the advancement, elevation and prosperity of America. 
        . . . This high service is the service which a person assumes without 
        thinking of himself.'';
Whereas Ataturk also said ``now we Turks alone control our own homeland, we are 
        the masters of our own house'', and declared that sovereignty belongs to 
        the people without any conditions or restrictions;
Whereas President John F. Kennedy said, ``Ataturk, with his historic 
        achievements, was one of the greatest leaders of [the 20th] century. He 
        was a towering figure of human ideals. His extraordinary leadership and 
        his military genius accomplished so much for his country; first in 
        battlefields, and then in building his nation, materially and in spirit. 
        He created a modern and sovereign state from the ashes of a defeated 
        empire. He was a great peace-maker, an ultimate reformer and a torch-
        bearer of freedom. He won not only the heart of his nation but the 
        hearts of the oppressed nations as well. We all miss him.'';
Whereas Turkish Americans are an important part of the fabric of the United 
        States, as evinced by their contributions to the arts, science, 
        academia, law, business, and political life of this country; and
Whereas Turkish Americans serve as goodwill ambassadors promoting greater 
        understanding between the United States and Turkey, by informing the 
        people of the United States about their rich Turkish cultural heritage, 
        and the importance of the strategic partnership to advance mutual 
        interests between the United States and Turkey: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the commemoration of the founding of the 
        Turkish Parliament, which laid the foundation for the future 
        establishment of a democratic secular, Republic of Turkey;
            (2) reiterates its support for democratic institutions, 
        Turkey's elected representatives, and the legislative and 
        supervisor functions of Turkey's Parliament;
            (3) commends the productive contributions of the Turkish 
        American community to the United States; and
            (4) congratulates the people of Turkey and Turkish 
        Americans nationwide on Turkish National Sovereignty and 
        Children's Day.
                                 <all>
```