Title: Congratulating the peoples of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic on the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, on the 26th anniversary of their countries' independence, and on the 101st anniversary of Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution recognizes the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic for their achievements in building prosperous, democratic societies since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The resolution also commends the countries for their support of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) operations in Afghanistan and reaffirms the United States' commitment to a free and peaceful Europe.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 618 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 618

    Congratulating the peoples of the Czech Republic and the Slovak 
Republic on the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, on the 26th 
    anniversary of their countries' independence, and on the 101st 
      anniversary of Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 4, 2019

 Mr. Visclosky (for himself, Mr. Banks, Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Schakowsky, 
and Mr. Wright) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                  to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Congratulating the peoples of the Czech Republic and the Slovak 
Republic on the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, on the 26th 
    anniversary of their countries' independence, and on the 101st 
      anniversary of Czechoslovakia's declaration of independence.

Whereas, on January 8, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson's ``Fourteen Points'' 
        address to a joint session of Congress called for the free ``autonomous 
        development'' of the peoples of Austria-Hungary and became the basis for 
        the founding of an independent Czech-Slovak nation-state;
Whereas, on September 3, 1918, the United States recognized the Czecho-Slovak 
        National Council in Paris as a de facto government at war with the 
        German and Austro-Hungarian Empires;
Whereas, on October 14, 1918, the Czecho-Slovak National Council formed a 
        provisional government, which declared its independence from Austria-
        Hungary on October 18, 1918;
Whereas the peoples of the present-day Czech Republic and the present-day Slovak 
        Republic proclaimed their independence in the common state of the 
        Republic of Czechoslovakia on October 28 and October 30, 1918;
Whereas, on November 12, 1918, the United States and Czechoslovakia established 
        formal diplomatic relations;
Whereas the United States never recognized Nazi Germany's annexation of the 
        Czech Sudetenland in October 1938, the subsequent establishment of a 
        German protectorate over Bohemia and Moravia, or the creation of the 
        German puppet Slovak state in March 1939;
Whereas the Slovak and Czech resistance movements against the Nazi occupation, 
        with the support of the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, launched the 
        Slovak National Uprising in August 1944 and the Prague uprising in May 
        1945, accelerating the collapse of the Third Reich and demonstrating the 
        courage, patriotism, and freedom-loving spirit of the Czech and Slovak 
        peoples;
Whereas the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia seized power from the 
        democratically elected Government of Czechoslovakia in February 1948;
Whereas, on August 20, 1968, twenty Soviet and Warsaw Pact divisions invaded 
        Czechoslovakia in order to crush the ``Prague Spring'', a peaceful 
        popular movement calling for greater political and economic liberty that 
        followed the appointment of Alexander Dubcek as First Secretary of the 
        Czechoslovakian Communist Party;
Whereas in the nonviolent Velvet Revolution of November 1989, the peoples of 
        Czechoslovakia overthrew 40 years of totalitarian communist rule and 
        have since established vibrant, pluralistic, democratic political 
        systems based upon freedom of speech, a free press, free and fair 
        elections, the rule of law, and individual rights, values embodied by 
        Czechoslovakia's first post-communist President Vaclav Havel;
Whereas, on January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic were 
        formally created as independent nation-states after a peaceful 
        dissolution of Czechoslovakia;
Whereas the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic joined the North Atlantic 
        Treaty Organization on March 12, 1999, and March 29, 2004, respectively, 
        and have made significant contributions to NATO operations around the 
        world; and
Whereas the peoples of the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak 
        Republic have forged a special relationship based on mutual respect, 
        close cooperation, and shared values of democracy, the rule of law, 
        economic liberty, and individual rights and responsibility: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the peoples of the Czech Republic and the 
        Slovak Republic for their considerable achievements over the 
        past 30 years since the fall of communist dictatorship in 
        building free, democratic, and prosperous societies;
            (2) congratulates the peoples of the Czech Republic and the 
        Slovak Republic on the 26th anniversary of their independence 
        and on the 101st anniversary of Czechoslovakia's independence;
            (3) expresses profound gratitude for the sacrifices of the 
        Czech and Slovak peoples in support of NATO operations in 
        Afghanistan and elsewhere; and
            (4) reaffirms the strong historical and cultural ties that 
        bind the Czech, Slovak, and American peoples together, and 
        expresses the United States continued commitment to a free, 
        peaceful, and prosperous Europe.
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