,,iii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #cdb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #ad1 #bjbc,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,risch1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 and ,mr4 ,ricketts7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,congratulating the people of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic on the #cjth anniversary of their independence and recognizing their substantial support to ,ukraine against ,russian aggression4 ,whereas1 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 ,congress1 contributing to the support of an independent ,czech and ,slovak nation ,state2 ,whereas the peoples of the present-day ,czech ,republic and ,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 ,czechoslovakia established formal diplomatic relations2 ,whereas1 in ,february #aidh1 the ,communist ,party of ,czechoslovakia seized power from the democratically elected ,government of ,czechoslovakia2 ,whereas1 on ,august #bj1 #aifh1 #bj ,soviet and ,warsaw ,pact military divisions invaded ,czechoslovakia to crush the ,prague ,spring1 a period of increased political and economic liberty following the appointment of ,alexander ,dubcek as ,first ,secretary of the ,czechoslovakian ,communist ,party2 ,whereas1 in the nonviolent ,velvet ,revolution of ,november #aihi1 the peoples of both nations overthrew #dj years of totalitarian communist rule and ended two decades of ,soviet occupation2 ,whereas1 after the ,velvet ,revolution1 the peoples of ,czechoslovakia established vibrant1 pluralistic1 democratic political systems based on free-market economics1 freedom of speech1 a free press1 free and fair elections1 the rule of law1 and respect for human rights--values embodied by ,vclav ,havel1 the first president of ,czechoslovakia after the fall of communism in that country2 ,whereas1 on ,february #ba1 #aiij1 ,czechoslovak ,president ,vclav ,havel delivered his historic address before the joint session of the ,united ,states ,congress on ,czechoslovakia's path to democracy2 ,whereas1 on ,january #a1 #aiic1 the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic were formally created as independent nation states after the peaceful dissolution of ,czechoslovakia2 ,whereas the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic1 owing to substantial support from the ,united ,states1 joined the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 on ,march #ab1 #aiii1 and ,march #bi1 #bjjd1 respectively1 and have made significant contributions to collective defense and the operations of ,,nato 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 democracy1 free trade1 respect for human rights1 international peace and security1 and the rules-based international order through their membership in the ,european ,union 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 free trade1 respect for human rights1 international peace and security1 and the rules-based international order2 ,whereas1 in #bjbc1 the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic are celebrating the #cjth anniversary of the ,national ,guard ,state ,partnership ,program with the ,national ,guards of ,texas1 ,nebraska1 and ,indiana1 a program which has contributed to military readiness and interoperability between the ,united ,states1 the ,czech ,republic1 and the ,slovak ,republic2 ,whereas the ,united ,states1 the ,czech ,republic1 and the ,slovak ,republic stand united in support of the people and ,government of ,ukraine against ,russia's unjustified and unprovoked invasion of ,ukraine2 and ,whereas the ,united ,states1 the ,czech ,republic1 and the ,slovak ,republic are major contributors to political1 humanitarian1 economic1 and military assistance to ,ukraine3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 commends the peoples of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic for overthrowing totalitarian communist rule in #aihi and asserting their right to self-determination and affirming their allegiance to the values of democracy1 free-market economics1 and respect for human rights through the peaceful1 nonviolent ,velvet ,revolution2 7#b7 celebrates the lasting contributions of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic to science1 the arts1 culture1 music1 literature1 politics1 trade1 and international affairs2 7#c7 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#d7 congratulates the peoples of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic on the #cjth anniversary of their independence and the #ajeth anniversary of diplomatic relations between the ,united ,states1 the ,czech ,republic1 and the ,slovak ,republic2 7#e7 congratulates the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic for their leadership in the ,european ,union2 7#f7 expresses gratitude for the solidarity of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic as they stand in solidarity with the people of ,ukraine in their fight against ,russia's brutal1 unprovoked1 and illegal invasion2 7#g7 reaffirms the historical and transnational ties that bind together the countries and peoples of the ,czech ,republic1 the ,slovak ,republic1 and the ,united ,states as freedom-loving peoples and members of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization2 7#h7 recognizes the importance of the ,united ,states1 the ,czech ,republic1 and the ,slovak ,republic partnership1 as long-standing partners and as ,,nato allies1 in addressing common threats and challenges1 including in the areas of climate change1 energy security1 advanced technologies1 cyber security1 and resilience to disinformation and hybrid threats2 7#i7 applauds the commitment of the ,czech ,republic and the ,slovak ,republic to spend two percent of their gross domestic products on defense by #bjbd1 an important commitment they have made as ,,nato allies2 and 7#aj7 expresses the ,united ,states commitment to further strengthen transatlantic ties and regional security through ,,nato1 supports a faster pace of modernization of the ,czech and ,slovak armed forces in light of the clear threat to transatlantic peace and security posed by ,russia's aggression in ,ukraine1 and reaffirms commitment to continue working to address new and emerging threats to our security1 including the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 the ,russian ,federation1 and other authoritarian actors4