IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 61 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of the Russian Federa-
tion’s continued membership in the G8 should be conditioned on its 
compliance with its international obligations and commitment to demo-
cratic principles and standards. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 25, 2009 
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. MACK, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. BURTON of 
Indiana, Mr. MCCOTTER, and Mr. POE of Texas) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of 
the Russian Federation’s continued membership in the 
G8 should be conditioned on its compliance with its 
international obligations and commitment to democratic 
principles and standards. 
Whereas the Group of Eight (G8) is comprised of France, 
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, the United States, Can-
ada, Japan, and Russia; 
Whereas the leaders of the G8 member states gather annually 
to tackle global challenges, which include strengthening 
international trade and promoting peace and democracy; 
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•HCON 61 IH 
Whereas prior to Russia’s participation in the organization, 
the then Group of Seven (G7) consisted solely of coun-
tries with advanced economies and democratic govern-
ments; 
Whereas after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Rus-
sia undertook steps to implement political and economic 
reforms; 
Whereas the decision to invite Russia to participate and be-
come a member of the G8 was based on the recognition 
of the Government of the Russian Federation’s commit-
ment to pursue continued democratization and market re-
forms; 
Whereas under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, both as 
President and Prime Minister of Russia, the Russian 
Federation has reversed its steps toward true democracy 
and engaged in hostile acts against its neighbors; 
Whereas, since Vladimir Putin assumed the office of the 
Presidency of the Russian Federation in 2000, the Rus-
sian Federation has, among other things, cracked down 
on opposition political parties, suppressed independent 
media, and restricted activities of human rights organiza-
tions; 
Whereas, according to a 2007 report on Russia issued by 
Freedom House, ‘‘Judges [in Russia] often report feeling 
pressured by federal authorities . . .’’, that ‘‘Corruption 
throughout the government and business world is perva-
sive . . . [and that the] government’s continuing cam-
paign against nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), 
particularly those with foreign funding, curtailed the ac-
tivities of human rights groups, and fine-tuning of the 
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•HCON 61 IH 
electoral laws made life more difficult for opposition par-
ties’’; 
Whereas, according to the Department of State’s 2007 Coun-
try Report on Human Rights Practices, ‘‘[Russian] gov-
ernment security forces were allegedly involved in unlaw-
ful killings, politically motivated abductions, and dis-
appearances in Chechnya, Ingushetia and elsewhere in 
the North Caucasus.’’; 
Whereas, the Russian Federation’s human rights abuses and 
failure to address corruption in the North Caucasus have 
contributed to the increase in violence in the region and 
have enhanced the opportunities for radical Islamists to 
recruit followers there; 
Whereas, according to a 2006 report issued by the Organiza-
tion 
for 
Economic 
Cooperation 
and 
Development 
(OECD), the Russian Federation’s ‘‘policy seems to have 
been focused not on market reforms but on tightening 
the state’s grip on the ‘commanding heights’ of the econ-
omy’’; 
Whereas reports indicate that high-level officials in the Rus-
sian Federation have benefitted from the diversion of 
substantial revenues from state-owned and state-influ-
enced energy entities and from private energy enterprises 
that have been subjected to pressures by the government 
authorities; 
Whereas the Russian Federation has consolidated its control 
over Russia’s oil and gas sectors through harassment of 
domestic and foreign energy companies; 
Whereas the Russian Federation has apparently used its in-
fluence over its vast energy resources as a political tool 
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•HCON 61 IH 
in relations with its neighbors, including the Republic of 
Georgia, Ukraine, and Belarus; 
Whereas through its state-owned or influenced energy compa-
nies, Russia has tried to gain control over pipelines, stor-
age facilities, ports, and other energy infrastructure in 
the rest of Europe to further enhance its position of in-
creasing dominance in European energy markets, and in 
a number of cases where energy infrastructure had been 
purchased by non-Russian companies, subsequently shut 
off energy supplies to the energy facilities involved; 
Whereas the Russian Federation has failed to fulfill the com-
mitment it made in 1999 at the Organization for Secu-
rity and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit in 
Istanbul to withdraw its military forces from the 
Transnistrian territory of the Republic of Moldova by the 
end of 2002; 
Whereas the Russian Federation has, for years, sought to 
manipulate ethnic conflicts in Georgia and its separatist 
regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and made numer-
ous efforts to undermine Georgia’s sovereignty, including, 
among other things, providing arms to the separatist 
movements within Georgia, boycotting Georgia’s major 
export products, violating Georgian airspace, shooting 
down an unmanned Georgian drone, and shutting off gas 
and electricity supplies to Georgia; 
Whereas prior to attacking Georgia in August 2008, Russia 
had increased its forces and military equipment in South 
Ossetia and Abkhazia, and granted Russian citizenship 
and passports to those living in those Georgian enclaves, 
thereby escalating tensions in these regions; 
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•HCON 61 IH 
Whereas Russia’s military invasion of Georgia in August 
2008 violated Georgia’s territorial integrity, caused tens 
of thousands of persons to be internally displaced, and in-
flicted massive destruction by the bombing of Georgian 
infrastructure, including ports, bridges, and railroads; 
Whereas, on August 26, 2008, Russia recognized South 
Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, although 
they are internationally recognized as part of Georgia’s 
territory; 
Whereas, on September 8, 2008, Russia’s Defense Minister 
Anatoly Serdyukov indicated that Russia will significantly 
increase the number of troops in Abkhazia and South 
Ossetia, and, according to a statement made on October 
20, 2008, by the chief of the Russian general staff, Gen-
eral Nikolai Makarov, Russia will establish permanent 
military bases in those separatist regions; 
Whereas, on January 26, 2008, Russian officials stated that 
Russia will soon start building a naval base in Georgia’s 
Black Sea separatist region of Abkhazia; and 
Whereas the abovementioned policies and actions by the Rus-
sian Federation undermine global security and democracy 
and weaken economic stability and development and 
thereby contradict the values, principles, and objectives of 
the original seven member states of the G8: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) notes the undemocratic nature of the Gov-
ernment of the Russian Federation’s actions and 
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•HCON 61 IH 
policies restricting political and media freedoms and 
also its failure to respect and protect human rights; 
(2) condemns Russia’s violation of the Republic 
of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and 
Russia’s continued failure to withdraw its troops 
from Georgian territory; 
(3) calls upon the President to urge the leaders 
of the governments of the other six original member 
states of the G8 to condition Russia’s continued 
membership in the G8 on its adherence and commit-
ment to the values shared by the other members of 
the organization, including: democracy, respect for 
human rights, promotion of peace and stability, and 
proper protection of investment; and 
(4) calls upon the President and the Secretary 
of State to work with the governments of the six 
other original member states of the G8 to terminate 
the Russian Federation’s participation in the G8 
with such termination of membership to continue 
until the President, after consulting with the other 
six member states, determines and reports to Con-
gress that the Government of the Russian Federa-
tion has— 
(A) taken demonstrable and substantive 
steps toward removing the official and unofficial 
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•HCON 61 IH 
restrictions that it currently imposes on legiti-
mate political opposition parties and move-
ments, 
independent 
media, 
human 
rights 
groups, and nongovernment organizations, and 
that violate the principles of organizations such 
as the Organization for Security and Coopera-
tion in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Eu-
rope; 
(B) taken substantive measures to imple-
ment free market reforms and affirmative steps 
in tackling corruption on all levels, particularly 
within the government and within the govern-
ment’s highest levels; 
(C) ceased to use energy as a political tool 
against its neighbors and has demonstrated a 
commitment to adhere to proper market-based 
policies regarding its energy sector, including 
but not limited to providing legal protections 
and fairly enforcing those protections in regard 
to both domestic and foreign investors, and 
opening up its oil and gas pipelines to invest-
ment and operation by non-Russian investors; 
(D) fulfilled its commitments to withdraw 
its military forces from the Transnistrian re-
gion of the Republic of Moldova; 
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•HCON 61 IH 
(E) fully and verifiably withdrawn its 
troops from all of the territory of Georgia; and 
(F) ceased any and all actions and policies 
that currently violate or would threaten the sov-
ereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring 
states. 
Æ 
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