IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 889 
Recognizing the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the 
30th anniversary of the restoration of their independence. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 9, 2020 
Mr. SHIMKUS (for himself, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. BACON, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. 
COHEN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. HECK, 
Mr. HIMES, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KINZINGER, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. CON-
AWAY, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. COOK, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. GALLEGO, Miss 
GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N of Puerto Rico, Mr. KEATING, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. 
PANETTA, Mr. TRONE, Mr. TURNER, Mr. VELA, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. 
WEBER of Texas, Mrs. DAVIS of California, and Ms. SLOTKIN) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lith-
uania on the 30th anniversary of the restoration of their 
independence. 
Whereas, 3 decades ago, the peoples of Estonia, Latvia, and 
Lithuania inspired the world through their victory over 
the forces of Soviet totalitarianism after decades of re-
sistance; 
Whereas the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania 
originally declared their independence in 1918 and estab-
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lished diplomatic relations with the United States as 
independent countries on July 28, 1922; 
Whereas, 100 years ago this year, Soviet Russia signed trea-
ties with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania recognizing their 
sovereignty and renouncing all territorial claims over 
each Baltic State in perpetuity; 
Whereas, on August 23, 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi 
Germany signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which con-
tained a secret protocol dividing Eastern Europe into 
spheres of influence, with the Baltic States ultimately 
being assigned to the Soviet Union, leading soon after to 
the forcible incorporation of the Baltic States into the 
Soviet Union; 
Whereas, following World War II, the Soviet Union occupied 
the Baltic States, imposing for more than 5 decades its 
model of Soviet totalitarianism, which the United States 
never recognized, instead maintaining 98 years of contin-
uous diplomatic relations with the Baltic States; 
Whereas, in August 1989, approximately 2,000,000 people 
joined hands in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to form 
a 373-mile human chain across the 3 states known as the 
Baltic Chain of Freedom; 
Whereas, in February 1990, the people of Lithuania partici-
pated in the first free election to select a new parliament, 
which promptly voted for restoration of independence, 
making Lithuania the first occupied Soviet republic to 
declare the restoration of independence on March 11, 
1990, a move subsequently followed by Latvia on May 4, 
1990, and Estonia on August 20, 1991; 
Whereas, in January 1991, Soviet military forces tried to 
quash the growing independence restoration movement, 
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leading to approximately 14 Lithuanian deaths, as well 
as 6 Latvian deaths and many injuries; 
Whereas, in February and March 1991, the Lithuanian, Es-
tonian, and Latvian people voted overwhelmingly in sup-
port of their respective independence restoration referen-
dums, which the United States recognized later that year; 
Whereas the Baltic States helped pave the path for democ-
racy and freedom across Eastern Europe, leading to the 
fall of the Soviet Union; 
Whereas, after restoration of independence, the economies of 
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania emerged as modern mar-
ket economies leading in technology and financial services 
sectors; 
Whereas Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania continue to dem-
onstrate their commitment to advancing democratic val-
ues, peace, and security through their membership and 
active participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organi-
zation (NATO), the European Union (EU), and the 
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop-
ment (OECD); 
Whereas the Baltic States have been loyal NATO allies, con-
tributing to regional security and global security through 
operations in Afghanistan and leadership in the NATO 
Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Esto-
nia, the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Ex-
cellence in Latvia, and the NATO Energy Security Cen-
tre of Excellence in Lithuania; 
Whereas the Baltic States further their contributions to the 
security of the Euro-Atlantic area by spending at least 2 
percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for defense, 
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and contribute to global security through determined par-
ticipation in international allied operations and missions; 
Whereas, since their restoration of independence in 1990 and 
1991, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have faced consid-
erable Russian aggressive behavior, intimidation, and 
cyber attacks, and as a result have worked to shape total 
defense strategies to counter Russian intervention; 
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has pur-
sued an aggressive disinformation campaign in the Baltic 
States, including intimidation of Western civilians and 
troops stationed in Europe and abroad via hacking, push-
ing propaganda, and other cyber attacks, and has in-
creased air provocations in Eastern Europe; 
Whereas the presence of the United States in the Baltic 
States remains a crucial factor for ensuring security in 
the region and complements the efforts of NATO to 
strengthen its deterrence and defense posture, including 
an Enhanced Forward Presence posture in the eastern 
part of the Alliance with multinational battlegroups; 
Whereas, in 2019, the United States and the Baltic States 
signed the Security Cooperation Roadmaps outlining joint 
security cooperation priorities for 2019 to 2024; 
Whereas the Baltic States have been models for democratic 
governance with strong institutions and respect for civil 
liberties and the rule of law, cherished shared values be-
tween the Baltic States and the United States; and 
Whereas the democratic development and progress of Esto-
nia, Latvia, and Lithuania since those countries regained 
independence has established the Baltic States as 3 shin-
ing beacons for freedom: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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(1) congratulates the Baltic States of Estonia, 
Latvia, and Lithuania on the 30th anniversary of 
the restoration of their independence; 
(2) commits continued support for the Baltic 
allies of the United States through economic and se-
curity cooperation, further strengthening trans-
atlantic ties and regional presence; 
(3) reaffirms the commitment of the United 
States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
and the enduring transatlantic alliance; 
(4) recognizes the courage and resilience of the 
Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian people in their 
fight for freedom and democracy in the face of Rus-
sian aggressive behavior; and 
(5) expresses the wish that the next 30 years of 
friendship between the Baltic States and the United 
States are just as full of positive achievements and 
progress as the last 30 years have been. 
Æ 
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