[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1405 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1405
Congratulating the Republic of Latvia on the 90th anniversary of its
declaration of independence.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 31, 2008
Mr. Shimkus (for himself, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Gallegly, and Mr. Wexler)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Congratulating the Republic of Latvia on the 90th anniversary of its
declaration of independence.
Whereas on November 18, 1918, in the City of Riga, the members of the People's
Council proclaimed Latvia a free, democratic, and sovereign nation;
Whereas on July 24, 1922, the United States formally recognized Latvia as an
independent and sovereign nation;
Whereas Latvia existed for 21 years as an independent and sovereign nation and a
fully recognized member of the League of Nations;
Whereas Latvia maintained friendly and stable relations with its neighbors,
including the Soviet Union, during its independence, without any border
disputes;
Whereas Latvia concluded several peace treaties and protocols with the Soviet
Union, including a peace treaty signed on August 11, 1920, under which
the ``Soviet Union unreservedly recognize[d] the independence and
sovereignty of the Latvian State and forever renounce[d] all sovereign
rights . . . over the Latvian people and territory'';
Whereas despite friendly and mutually productive relations between Latvia and
the Soviet Union, on August 23, 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which contained a secret protocol
assigning Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania to the Soviet sphere of
influence;
Whereas under the cover of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, on June 17, 1940,
Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania were forcibly incorporated into the
Soviet Union in violation of preexisting peace treaties;
Whereas the Soviet Union imposed upon the people of Latvia, Estonia, and
Lithuania a communist political system that stifled civil dissent, free
political expression, and basic human rights;
Whereas the United States never recognized this illegal and forcible occupation,
and successive American presidents maintained continuous diplomatic
relations with these countries throughout the Soviet occupation, never
accepting them to be ``Soviet Republics'';
Whereas during the 50 years of Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, Congress
strongly, consistently, and on a bipartisan basis supported a policy of
legal nonrecognition;
Whereas in 1953, the congressionally established Kersten Commission investigated
the incorporation of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania into the Soviet
Union and determined that the Soviet Union had illegally and forcibly
occupied and annexed the Baltic countries;
Whereas in 1982, and for the next 9 years until the Baltic countries regained
their independence, Congress annually adopted a Baltic Freedom Day
resolution denouncing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and appealing for the
freedom of the Baltic countries;
Whereas in 1991, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania regained their de facto
independence and were quickly recognized by the United States and by
almost every other country in the world, including the Soviet Union;
Whereas in 1998, the United States and the 3 Baltic nations signed the United
States-Baltic Charter of Partnership, an expression of the importance of
the Baltic Sea region to United States interests;
Whereas the 109th Congress resolved in S. Con. Res. 35 and H. Res. 28 that ``it
is the sense of Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation
should issue a clear and unambiguous statement of admission and
condemnation of the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet
Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania, the consequences of which will be a significant increase in
good will among the affected people'';
Whereas Latvia has successfully developed as a free and democratic country,
ensured the rule of law, and developed a free market economy;
Whereas the Government of Latvia has constantly pursued a course of integration
into the community of free and democratic nations, becoming a full and
responsible member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, and the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization;
Whereas the people of Latvia cherish the principles of political freedom, human
rights, and independence; and
Whereas Latvia is a strong and loyal ally of the United States, and the people
of Latvia share common values with the people of the United States: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) congratulates the people of Latvia on the occasion of
the 90th anniversary of that country's November 18, 1918,
declaration of independence;
(2) commends the Government of Latvia for its success in
implementing political and economic reforms, for establishing
political, religious, and economic freedom, and for its strong
commitment to human and civil rights; and
(3) recognizes the common goals and shared values of the
people of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, the close and
friendly relations and ties of the 3 Baltic countries with one
another, and their tragic history in the last century under the
Nazi and Soviet occupations.
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