,,iv #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #edc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #d1 #bjad ,mrs4 ,miller of ,michigan 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,eddie ,bernice ,johnson of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,stivers1 ,ms4 ,bordallo1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,pascrell1 ,mr4 ,kinzinger of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,turner1 ,mr4 ,hastings of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,connolly1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey1 and ,mr4 ,bentivolio7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,affirming the support of the ,united ,states for ,macedonia's accession to the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato74 ,whereas ,macedonia peacefully asserted and achieved independent statehood in #aiia1 during the course of the former ,yugoslavia's violent disintegration2 ,whereas the ,united ,states has provided over #a1jjj1jjj1jjj in aid to ,macedonia since it recognized its independence2 ,whereas ,macedonia affirmed its commitment to joining the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 in #aiic1 signed the ,framework ,documents for ,,nato's partnership for ,peace in #aiie1 and started its ,membership ,action ,plan 7,,map7 in #aiii2 ,whereas in ,march #aiie1 after signing of a ,memorandum of ,understanding in #aiid1 a ,vermont ,state ,partnership ,program was established between the ,state of ,vermont and the ,republic of ,macedonia2 ,whereas ,macedonia is an active participant as the first state partner of the ,vermont ,national ,guard for the past #bj years1 and since #aiie1 more than #c1jjj ,macedonians and ,vermonters have shared their expertise in more than #hjj events as the partnership has developed1 including a joint military embedment in ,afghanistan in #bjaa2 ,whereas during the #aiii ,kosovo crisis1 ,macedonia received and accommodated #djj1jjj ,kosovar refugees1 and served as a staging area and main corridor for logistical support to the ,,nato ,kosovo ,force 7,,kfor7 as well as leading the ,,kfor ,coordination ,centre for logistical support in ,skopje since #bjjf2 ,whereas under its ,,nato ,membership ,action ,plan1 ,macedonia1 in its #adth cycle of ,,map1 has made strong strides on major reforms and reconstruction of its armed forces towards the goal of building and sustaining a modern1 professional defense force of about #ab1jjj troops that is fully interoperable with ,,nato2 ,whereas ,macedonia was one of the first countries to offer support to the ,united ,states after the ,september #aa1 #bjja1 terrorist attacks1 which has had a policy of 8an attack on the ,united ,states is an attack on ,macedonia01 as stated by the late ,macedonian ,president ,boris ,trajkovski2 ,whereas in ,afghanistan1 ,macedonia1 who patrols ,international ,security ,assistance ,force 7,,isaf7 headquarters in ,kabul1 and is the fifth largest ,,isaf troop contributor per capita1 has contributed troops to the ,,nato-led ,,isaf mission since #bjjb1 and engaged in combat operations side-by-side with ,united ,states troops1 increasing troop levels in #bjaj2 ,whereas in the interest of a faithful partnership with the ,united ,states1 ,macedonia deployed troops to ,iraq under the leadership of the ,united ,states ,government until #bjjh2 ,whereas ,macedonia also contributes to the ,european ,union mission in ,bosnia and ,herzegovina and has contributed troops in ,lebanon2 ,whereas soldiers from ,macedonia earned #abj medals awarded by the ,united ,states2 ,whereas in #bjje1 in ,macedonia1 ,,nato and partner nations conducted a ,partnership for ,peace1 joint military exercises named ,cooperation ,alliance #bjje that was aimed to strengthen coordination and cooperation between the bloc and member countries of its ,partnership for ,peace ,program2 ,whereas in #bjjg1 ,macedonia successfully hosted the ,euro-,atlantic ,partnership ,council ,security ,forum1 which was attended by the ,united ,states ,secretary of ,defense2 ,whereas in #bjjh1 the ,united ,states signed a ,declaration of ,strategic ,partnership and ,cooperation with ,macedonia stating that ,the #bjjh ,,nato ,summit ,declaration in ,bucharest made clear that the ,republic of ,macedonia has met ,,nato's democratic1 economic1 and defense standards through its rigorous participation in the ,membership ,action ,plan42 ,whereas the #bjjh ,declaration outlined the importance of close partnership between the two countries based upon common goals1 interests1 and values1 in order to enhance their strategic relationship through intensified consultation and cooperation in the areas of security1 people-to-people ties1 and commerce1 the ,united ,states committed itself to provide additional assistance to ,macedonia to help build prosperity and strengthen security2 ,whereas the ,united ,states and ,macedonia noted that a democratic1 secure1 and prosperous ,macedonia1 with friendly and constructive relations with its neighbors is vital to peace and stability in ,southeast ,europe2 ,whereas the ,international ,court of ,justice 7,,icj7 in ,december #bjaa in its final judgment1 without possibility for appeal1 and binding on the parties1 found that ,greece1 by objecting to the admission of ,macedonia to ,,nato during the #bjjh ,bucharest ,summit1 has breached its obligation under article #aa of the ,united ,nations ,interim ,accord of ,september #ac1 #aiie2 ,whereas current ,united ,states ,president ,barack ,obama on ,april #d1 #bjji1 at the ,strasbourg-,kehl ,,nato ,summit stated ,i look forward to the day when we can welcome ,macedonia to the ,alliance42 ,whereas the ,north ,atlantic ,council ,foreign ,ministers meeting on ,december #g1 #bjaa1 applauded the significant operational support provided to ,,nato by aspirant partners ,macedonia1 ,montenegro1 ,bosnia and ,herzegovina1 and ,georgia2 ,whereas ,secretary of ,state ,hillary ,rodham ,clinton at the #bjab ,chicago ,summit stated ,i believe this summit should be the last summit that is not an enlargement summit2 ,whereas ,macedonia is strategically located in ,southeast ,europe displaying a unique gateway for rapid ,,nato troop deployments to the ,middle ,east and ,north ,africa in order to maintain regional stability2 ,whereas ,macedonia has been recognized by the ,world ,bank and the ,european ,union as an economic reformer1 and according to the ,heritage ,foundation_/,wall ,street ,journal #bjad ,index of ,economic ,freedom1 ,macedonia's economic freedom score is #fh4f1 making its economy the #dcrd freest in the #bjad ,index and is ranked #bjth out of #dc countries in the ,europe region1 and its overall score is above the world and regional averages2 ,whereas ,macedonia's ,,nato membership would benefit ,greek businesses1 which are one of the most significant foreign direct investors in ,macedonia2 and ,whereas ,macedonia has satisfied all ,,nato membership criteria per declarations made by #bjjh ,bucharest ,summit1 #bjaj ,lisbon ,summit1 and #bjab ,chicago ,summit1 is active in ,,nato missions1 and obtained the support of the ,,icj1 the ,,uk ,summit in ,september #bjad provides a moment of opportunity for the ,alliance to complete ,macedonia's transition into ,,nato3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 supports ,macedonia's aspirations to join the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato72 7#b7 recognizes the cooperation between the ,state of ,vermont and ,macedonia and the joint military partnership between ,vermont ,national ,guard and the ,army of the ,republic of ,macedonia2 7#c7 recognizes the significant benefits of closer economic and political ties between ,,nato members and ,macedonia in its commitment to foster regional stability and the important principle of mutual defense of all ,,nato members1 including ,greece2 7#d7 recognizes the importance of the ,,nato membership for ,macedonia for its economic growth1 strengthening of the democratic institutions and norms1 and bolstering rule of law in ,southeast ,europe2 7#e7 greatly appreciates the efforts of ,macedonia in its commitment and participation with the ,united ,states and other countries in advancing peace1 democracy1 stability1 and mutual understanding2 7#f7 urges the ,administration and the ,united ,states ,department of ,state to continue to work closely with ,macedonia and to support ,,nato enlargement by granting full membership to ,macedonia2 7#g7 acknowledges and supports the progress made by ,macedonia's efforts in the ,,nato membership process2 7#h7 calls on the ,administration and ,united ,states ,department of ,state to work with ,greece and ,,nato allies to ensure that bilateral disputes do not impede ,macedonia's ,,nato accession for the sake of regional stability in light of the current situation with ,ukraine2 and 7#i7 urges ,,nato members to formally extend an invitation to ,macedonia to join ,,nato at the ,,nato ,summit in the ,united ,kingdom in ,september #bjad4