IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 452 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the recent 
free and fair parliamentary elections and transfer of power in Armenia, 
reaffirming the critical importance of the United States-Armenia partner-
ship, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 20, 2019 
Mr. PALLONE (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. KING of New 
York, and Mr. SCHIFF) submitted the following resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regard-
ing the recent free and fair parliamentary elections and 
transfer of power in Armenia, reaffirming the critical 
importance of the United States-Armenia partnership, 
and for other purposes. 
Whereas the United States formally recognized the independ-
ence of the Republic of Armenia almost a century ago on 
April 23, 1920, through a letter from Secretary of State 
Bainbridge Colby to the Representative of the Armenian 
Republic, Garegin Pasdermadjian, informing him of 
President Woodrow Wilson’s decision; 
Whereas the United States recognized the reestablishment of 
Armenia’s independence following seven decades of Soviet 
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•HRES 452 IH 
rule on December 25, 1991, when President George H.W. 
Bush announced this decision in an address regarding 
the dissolution of the Soviet Union; 
Whereas the people of the Republic of Armenia showed their 
commitment to democracy, anticorruption measures, and 
rule of law during their nonviolent ‘‘Velvet Revolution’’ 
between April and May of 2018, leading to the peaceful 
transfer of executive leadership; 
Whereas the Velvet Revolution culminated in the December 
9, 2018, national parliamentary elections that ‘‘were held 
with respect for fundamental freedoms and enjoyed broad 
public trust that needs to be preserved through further 
electoral reforms’’, according to the Organization for Se-
curity and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election ob-
servation mission; 
Whereas the longstanding friendship of the American and Ar-
menian peoples reinforced during decades of principled 
United States leadership for Armenian independence 
from Soviet tyranny, and expanded, in the years since 
Armenia’s reborn independence, through regional and 
international security cooperation, and mutually bene-
ficial bilateral political, economic, military, democracy, 
and development partnerships; 
Whereas almost a century after the United States first for-
mally recognized the independence of the Republic of Ar-
menia the bilateral political, economic, and strategic part-
nership between the two countries continues to flourish; 
Whereas United States-Armenia ties are deeply rooted in 
shared democratic values, the United States enduring 
commitment to Armenia’s independence, and a common 
vision of regional peace and global security, as reflected 
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in Armenia’s membership in NATO’s Partnership for 
Peace and its record of deployments as part of United 
States-led peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, 
Lebanon, Kosovo, and Mali; 
Whereas President Donald Trump, in a September 21, 2018, 
message to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, 
stated, ‘‘We thank you for your steadfast partnership on 
many fronts, including contributing to NATO operations 
and showing great generosity in welcoming Syrian refu-
gees’’; 
Whereas Armenia remains constructively engaged in the 
OSCE Minsk Group process, co-chaired by the United 
States, which seeks to strengthen the 1994 ceasefire 
agreement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno 
Karabakh, and to facilitate a durable and democratic 
peace; 
Whereas Armenia’s aid-to-trade transition requires continued 
United States leadership on trade and investment pro-
motion, upgraded engagement through the Economic 
Task Force and Trade and Investment Framework 
Agreement Council, and the exploration of mutually bene-
ficial economic accords; and 
Whereas continued United States investment into initiatives 
that further government transparency, strengthen demo-
cratic institutions, and empower civil society in Armenia 
will only help to bolster the historic ties and friendship 
between the two countries: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) celebrates almost a century of United 
States-Armenia relations, the enduring friendship of 
the American and Armenian peoples, the strong 
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