[Congressional Bills 110th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Res. 1383 Introduced in House (IH)] 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1383 Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the independence of Bulgaria. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 29, 2008 Mr. Wilson of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Gallegly, Mrs. Tauscher, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. McIntyre, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Forbes, Mr. David Davis of Tennessee, Mrs. Musgrave, Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Bachmann, Mr. Barrett of South Carolina, Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, and Mr. Cuellar) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the independence of Bulgaria. Whereas on September 22, 1908, Bulgaria proclaimed its independence to become a full-fledged sovereign state under the name of the Kingdom of Bulgaria; Whereas this act marked the end of a long and dedicated struggle the Bulgarian people waged against their ages-long foreign occupier, the Ottoman Empire, which conquered the medieval Bulgarian state in the 14th Century; Whereas although liberated in 1878, Bulgaria remained divided and dependent on its formal ruler; Whereas with the proclamation of independence, Bulgaria took its rightful place among the family of nations and secured for its people, once and forever, the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; Whereas at present, 100 years after having gained its sovereignty and independent statehood, the Republic of Bulgaria is a democratic nation and a staunch ally of the United States; Whereas Bulgaria shares the universal values of freedom and human rights, making its own contribution to a safer and better world; Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Bulgaria on September 19, 1903; Whereas the United States acknowledges the courage of the Bulgarian people in deciding to pursue a free, democratic, and independent Bulgaria and their steadfast perseverance in building a society based on the rule of law, respect for human rights, and a free market economy; Whereas the people of the Republic of Bulgaria strive to preserve and continue their tradition of ethnic and religious tolerance; Whereas the Bulgarian Parliament, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, King Boris III, politicians, intellectuals, and citizens all played a part in the resistance to Nazi pressure to carry out the deportation of Jews living in Bulgaria by preventing the deportation of 50,000 Jews to Nazi concentration camps; Whereas Bulgaria was the only European country during World War II to increase its Jewish population; Whereas Bulgaria experienced its first free election after the end of the Cold War in June 1990; Whereas North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) heads of state and member governments, meeting in Prague on November 21, 2002, invited Bulgaria into NATO after verified reforms of both Bulgaria's political and economic systems were completed in preparation for membership; Whereas Bulgaria was accepted as a member of NATO and has shown determination in enacting the continued reforms necessary to be a productive, contributing member of the Alliance; Whereas Bulgaria was welcomed into the European Union in January 2007; Whereas the World Bank recently classified Bulgaria as one of the top 10 nations to have undertaken important economic reforms to attract business investment; Whereas Bulgaria is the only European Union nation to be listed in the top 10 of the World Bank's classification; Whereas Bulgaria has promoted stability in the Balkans by rendering support to Operation Allied Force and Operation Joint Guardian led by the NATO, and by providing peacekeeping troops to the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo; Whereas at the invitation of the Government of Bulgaria, United States Armed Forces will begin joint military activities with Bulgarian military forces in Bulgaria, which is the first defense cooperation agreement of its kind in the course of over 1,300 years of Bulgarian statehood; and Whereas Bulgaria has stood firmly by the United States in the cause of advancing freedom worldwide during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) commends the Republic of Bulgaria for developing increasingly friendly and meaningful relations with the United States over the past 100 years; (2) recognizes the continued contributions of Bulgaria toward bringing peace, stability, and prosperity to the region of South Eastern Europe, including its contributions to regional security and democratic stability; (3) salutes the willing cooperation of Bulgaria and its increasingly vital role as a valuable ally in the war against international terrorism; and (4) encourages opportunities for greater cooperation between the United States and Bulgaria in the political, military, economic, and cultural spheres. <all>