IV 
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 coun-
tries; 
Whereas Slovaks and Czechs in the United States called for 
a Czechoslovak state to be established in the 1915 Cleve-
land Agreement and the 1918 Pittsburgh Agreement; 
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•HRES 749 IH 
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 Re-
public of Czechoslovakia; 
Whereas, on November 12, 1918, the United States and an 
independent Czechoslovakia established formal diplomatic 
relations; 
Whereas Czechoslovakia maintained its democracy through-
out the interwar period until the Nazi invasion in 1938; 
Whereas, in February 1948, the Communist Party of Czecho-
slovakia 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 eco-
nomic liberty that followed the appointment of Alexander 
Dubcˇek as First Secretary of the Czechoslovakian Com-
munist Party; 
Whereas the independent civic initiative Charter 77 was es-
tablished in 1977 and called on the Czechoslovak Govern-
ment to fulfill its human rights commitments under the 
Helsinki Final Act, and many of its members played deci-
sive roles in the Velvet Revolution; 
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•HRES 749 IH 
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 
Va´clav 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 for-
eign 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 inter-
national 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 inter-
national organizations; 
Whereas the peoples of the United States, the Czech Repub-
lic, and the Slovak Republic have forged a special rela-
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•HRES 749 IH 
tionship based on their shared historic ties, mutual re-
spect, close cooperation, and the shared values of democ-
racy, 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 cele-
brate the 30th anniversary of the National Guard State 
Partnership Program with the Texas, Nebraska, and In-
diana National Guards, respectively, which has contrib-
uted 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 com-
pleted significant democratic reforms enabling political 
systems and societies which respect the rule of law, free-
dom 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, humani-
tarian, 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 Revolu-
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•HRES 749 IH 
tion to affirm their human rights and democratic as-
pirations; 
(2) recognizes actions of the people of the 
Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic for over-
throwing 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, poli-
tics, trade, and international affairs; 
(4) applauds the achievements of the Czech Re-
public and the Slovak Republic in building free, 
open, democratic, and prosperous societies over the 
past 30 years; 
(5) expresses strong support of the Czech Re-
public and Slovak Republic’s role in the North At-
lantic 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 alli-
ance’s eastern flank; 
(6) recognizes the efforts of the Czech Republic 
and the Slovak Republic to stand with the people of 
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•HRES 749 IH 
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, ter-
ritorial integrity, and prosperity of the Czech Repub-
lic and the Slovak Republic; 
(9) supports municipal-level cooperation includ-
ing through organizations like the Pact of Free Cit-
ies, which highlights the importance of cities in pro-
tecting 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 de-
fense 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 ag-
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•HRES 749 IH 
gression in Ukraine and increased emerging threats 
in the region; 
(12) commends the Czech Republic’s and Slo-
vak Republic’s strong support of democratic part-
ners in the face of attempted Chinese malign influ-
ence 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 Eu-
rope. 
Æ 
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