IV
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 170
Expressing United States policy toward the Republic of Bulgaria.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 2, 1999
Mr. GILMAN (for himself and Mr. MICA) submitted the following concurrent
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing United States policy toward the Republic of
Bulgaria.
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring),
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Elections held in April 1997 in the Republic
of Bulgaria brought to office a government com-
mitted to full economic reforms, discipline in govern-
ment budgetary and currency policies, increased for-
eign, direct investment in Bulgaria, and energetic ef-
forts to combat corrupt and criminal activities that
had undermined previous economic reforms.
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(2) The Government of the Republic of Bul-
garia has worked to ensure the proper treatment of
its citizens, regardless of ethnic background, includ-
ing those of ethnic Turkish background, many of
whom were subjected to forced assimilation cam-
paigns and deportation under the former communist
regime in Bulgaria.
(3) The Government of the Republic of Bul-
garia has made Bulgaria’s integration into pan-Eu-
ropean and trans-Atlantic institutions, including the
European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Or-
ganization (NATO), the highest priority of its for-
eign policy, and has undertaken efforts to promote
stability in southeastern Europe and the Black Sea
region.
(4) The economy of the Republic of Bulgaria
has suffered considerable decline due to the disrup-
tion of important markets caused by the break-up of
the former, Soviet-dominated ‘‘COMECON’’ eco-
nomic and trade organization, the application of
international sanctions on Iraq, and the failure of
the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria to con-
front widespread corrupt activities prior to the elec-
tions of April 1997 that resulted in the theft of large
•HCON 170 IH
sums from both government and industry and that
bankrupted many Bulgarian banks.
(5) The economy of the Republic of Bulgaria
has suffered as well from the imposition of inter-
national sanctions on neighboring Serbia and con-
tinues to suffer from the conflict in that country,
which has disrupted commerce throughout the re-
gion of southeastern Europe.
(6) The Government of the Republic of Bul-
garia has recently taken steps to finalize bilateral
agreements with the neighboring Republic of Mac-
edonia, recognized by the United States as the
‘‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’’, over-
coming a long-standing dispute over the language to
be used in those agreements.
(7) The Government of the Republic of Bul-
garia has undertaken to reform Bulgaria’s armed
forces, adopting a military doctrine to that effect in
March 1999.
(8) The Government of the Republic of Bul-
garia has stated its continuing support for the mis-
sion of NATO in supporting democratization and
stability across Europe.
(9) As a result of the conflict in Serbia with re-
gard to the region of Kosovo, the Republic of Bul-
•HCON 170 IH
garia has accepted several thousand refugees from
the conflict.
SEC. 2. POLICY TOWARD THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA.
It is the policy of the United States—
(1) to promote the development in the Republic
of Bulgaria of a market-based economy and a demo-
cratic government that respects the rights of all of
its citizens, regardless of ethnic background;
(2) to support the territorial integrity of the
Republic of Bulgaria;
(3) to insist that the territorial integrity of the
Republic of Bulgaria be respected by neighboring
countries and by all political movements within and
outside Bulgaria; and
(4) to support the integration of the Republic
of Bulgaria into pan-European and trans-Atlantic
economic and security institutions.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria
is to be commended for its efforts to ensure proper
treatment of all of its citizens, regardless of ethnic
background, particularly those of ethnic Turkish
background;
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(2) the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria
is to be commended—
(A) for its efforts to accelerate the privat-
ization of state-owned enterprises in a fair and
transparent process;
(B) for its establishment of a currency
board to ensure the value of the Bulgarian cur-
rency; and
(C) for its efforts to combat corrupt and
criminal activities that undermine reforms and
the viability of Bulgaria’s government and in-
dustry;
(3) the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria
should continue to implement programs that may
qualify Bulgaria for entrance into the European
Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) and is to be commended for its continuing
support of the NATO effort to ensure stability and
democratization across Europe;
(4) the Republic of Bulgaria is suffering the ad-
verse economic impact of the disruption of commerce
in southeastern Europe and an influx of refugees
caused by the conflict in neighboring Serbia;
(5) the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria
should ensure the expeditious ratification of all bilat-