,,iv #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #gdi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,september #bi1 #bjbc,mr4 ,keating 7for himself and ,mr4 ,wilson of ,south ,carolina7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,supporting #cj years of diplomatic relations between the ,united ,states and the independent ,czech ,republic and ,slovak ,republic1 highlighting their assistance to ,ukraine1 and supporting continued democratic resiliency4 ,whereas the ,united ,states has been enriched by the ,czechs1 ,slovaks1 and others who emigrated to the ,united ,states from the territories of what are today the ,czech ,republic and ,slovak ,republic1 and continues to benefit from the strong ties between and among the citizens of our countries2 ,whereas ,slovaks and ,czechs in the ,united ,states called for a ,czechoslovak state to be established in the #aiae ,cleveland ,agreement and the #aiah ,pittsburgh ,agreement2 ,whereas the ,united ,states profoundly contributed to the founding of an independent ,czech-,slovak state when1 on ,january #h1 #aiah1 ,president ,woodrow ,wilson called for the free autonomous development of the peoples of ,austria-,hungary in the ,fourteen ,points address to a joint session of ,congress2 ,whereas the people of the present-day ,czech ,republic and the people of the present-day ,slovak ,republic proclaimed independence on ,october #bh1 #aiah1 and ,october #cj1 #aiah1 respectively1 forming the common state of the ,republic of ,czechoslovakia2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ab1 #aiah1 the ,united ,states and an independent ,czechoslovakia established formal diplomatic relations2 ,whereas ,czechoslovakia maintained its democracy throughout the interwar period until the ,nazi invasion in #aich2 ,whereas1 in ,february #aidh1 the ,communist ,party of ,czechoslovakia seized power from the postwar democratically elected ,government of ,czechoslovakia2 ,whereas1 on ,august #bj1 #aifh1 #bj ,soviet-led ,warsaw ,pact military divisions invaded ,czechoslovakia to crush the ,prague ,spring1 a period of greater political and economic liberty that followed the appointment of ,alexander ,dubek as ,first ,secretary of the ,czechoslovakian ,communist ,party2 ,whereas the independent civic initiative ,charter #gg was established in #aigg and called on the ,czechoslovak ,government to fulfill its human rights commitments under the ,helsinki ,final ,act1 and many of its members played decisive roles in the ,velvet ,revolution2 ,whereas1 in the nonviolent ,velvet ,revolution of ,november #aihi1 the peoples of both nations overthrew #dj years of authoritarian communist rule and ended two decades of ,soviet occupation2 ,whereas1 on ,february #ba1 #aiij1 ,czechoslovak ,president ,vclav ,havel delivered his historic address before a joint session of ,congress saying1 in part1 that ,czechoslovakia is a country that has set out on the road to democracy1 a country where there is complete freedom of speech1 which is getting ready for free elections and which wants to create a prosperous market economy and its own foreign policy2 ,whereas1 on ,january #a1 #aiic1 the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic were formally created as independent states after a peaceful dissolution of ,czechoslovakia2 ,whereas the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic1 with the robust support of the ,united ,states1 joined the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization on ,march #ab1 #aiii1 and ,march #bi1 #bjjd1 respectively1 and have made significant contributions to collective defense and the operations of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization as well as international coalitions led by the ,united ,states around the world2 ,whereas the ,czech ,republic and ,slovak ,republic continue to demonstrate their strong commitment to advancing democratic values1 peace1 and security through their membership in the ,european ,union1 the ,organization for ,security and ,co-operation in ,europe1 and other international organizations2 ,whereas the peoples of the ,united ,states1 the ,czech ,republic1 and the ,slovak ,republic have forged a special relationship based on their shared historic ties1 mutual respect1 close cooperation1 and the shared values of democracy1 the rule of law1 economic liberty1 and individual rights and responsibility2 ,whereas vibrant ,czech and ,slovak diasporas have positively contributed to society in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic celebrate the #cjth anniversary of the ,national ,guard ,state ,partnership ,program with the ,texas1 ,nebraska1 and ,indiana ,national ,guards1 respectively1 which has contributed to military readiness and interoperability between the ,united ,states and both the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic2 ,whereas the ,czech ,republic and ,slovak ,republic have completed significant democratic reforms enabling political systems and societies which respect the rule of law1 freedom of speech and assembly1 free and fair elections1 and other democratic values2 and ,whereas the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic have shown unity in their support for ,ukraine's fight against ,russia's unjust and illegal war of aggression1 and both countries have contributed significant military1 humanitarian1 and economic assistance to ,ukraine in support of a free and democratic ,ukraine3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 supports a democratic and independent ,czech ,republic and ,slovak ,republic1 both of whom1 #cj years ago1 emerged from decades of communist rule through the peaceful1 nonviolent ,velvet ,revolution to affirm their human rights and democratic aspirations2 7#b7 recognizes actions of the people of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic for overthrowing totalitarian communist rule in #aihi by waging a peaceful1 nonviolent ,velvet ,revolution to affirm human rights and democratic aspirations2 7#c7 celebrates the lasting contributions of the peoples of ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic to science1 the arts1 culture1 music1 literature1 politics1 trade1 and international affairs2 7#d7 applauds the achievements of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic in building free1 open1 democratic1 and prosperous societies over the past #cj years2 7#e7 expresses strong support of the ,czech ,republic and ,slovak ,republic's role in the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization alliance and calls on both countries to continue their efforts to meet their #b percent defense commitment and recognizes the ,czech ,republic and ,slovak ,republic as strong ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization partners on the alliance's eastern flank2 7#f7 recognizes the efforts of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic to stand with the people of ,ukraine in their fight for freedom against illegal ,russian aggression and provide significant military1 humanitarian1 and economic support to ,ukraine2 7#g7 recognizes the ,czech ,republic and ,slovak ,republic for their constitutions within the ,european ,union2 7#h7 reaffirms ,united ,states support for the freedom1 human rights1 democracy1 sovereignty1 territorial integrity1 and prosperity of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic2 7#i7 supports municipal-level cooperation including through organizations like the ,pact of ,free ,cities1 which highlights the importance of cities in protecting and promoting democratic values1 sharing best practices1 and finding practical solutions to best serve citizens2 7#aj7 supports increased cooperation through the ,united ,states-,czech ,strategic ,dialogue and the ,united ,states-,slovak ,strategic ,dialogue to address common threats and challenges including in the defense and energy sectors1 climate change1 regional security1 cyber security1 and resilience to disinformation2 7#aa7 supports modernization of the ,czech and ,slovak ,armed ,forces in light of ,russia's illegal aggression in ,ukraine and increased emerging threats in the region2 7#ab7 commends the ,czech ,republic's and ,slovak ,republic's strong support of democratic partners in the face of attempted ,chinese malign influence in ,europe and ongoing hostile behavior by the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 and 7#ac7 reaffirms the ,united ,states commitment to strengthening and supporting freedom of the press1 civil society1 and rule of law in ,central ,europe4