2015 -- H 5980

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING MARCH 25, 2015, AS THE 194TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK

INDEPENDENCE DAY

     Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, McNamara, Carson, Johnston, and Coughlin

     Date Introduced: March 25, 2015

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, On March 25, 1821, the Feast Day of the Annunciation, the Greek nation

reclaimed its ancient heritage as the "Cradle of Democracy" by overthrowing the yoke of

oppression which had enslaved its people since the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Conquered by

the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century, Greece waged a successful War of Independence (1821-

1829) and re-instituted a democratic form of government; and

     WHEREAS, The people of the United States generously offered humanitarian assistance

to the Greek people during their struggle for independence; and

     WHEREAS, The price for Greece in holding onto our common values in their region was

high, as hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in Greece during World War II; and

     WHEREAS, Greece is only one of three nations in the world, beyond the former British

Empire, that has been allied with the United States in every major international conflict in the last

100 years; and

     WHEREAS, The Government and people of Greece actively participate in peacekeeping

and peace-building operations conducted by international organizations, including the United

Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Union, and the Organization for

Security and Co-operation in Europe, and have more recently provided critical support to the

operation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Libya; and

     WHEREAS, Greece, located in a region where Christianity meets Islam and Judaism,

maintains excellent relations with Muslim nations and Israel and demonstrates religious

tolerance; and

     WHEREAS, Greece and the United States are at the forefront of the effort for freedom,

democracy, peace, stability, and human rights; and

     WHEREAS, Those and similar ideals have forged a close bond between Greece and the

United States and their peoples; and

     WHEREAS, In February of 2015, President Barack Obama expressed support for the

new Greek government; and

     WHEREAS, March 25, 2015, Greek Independence Day, marks the 194th anniversary of

the beginning of the revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire and

celebrates the aspirations for democracy and tolerance that the peoples of Greece and the United

States share; and

     WHEREAS, The Government of Greece has taken important steps in recent years to

further cross-cultural understanding, rapprochement, and cooperation in various fields with

Turkey, and has also improved its relations with other countries in the region, including Israel,

thus enhancing the stability of the wider region; and

     WHEREAS, It is proper and desirable for the United States to celebrate this anniversary

with the Greek people and to reaffirm the democratic principles from which these two great

nations were born; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby celebrates March 25, 2015, as the 194th Anniversary of Greek

Independence, reaffirms Rhode Island's abiding commitment to the magnificent principles of

democracy and religious freedom, and urges Turkey to respect the rights and religious freedoms

of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of

Cranston, the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church of Pawtucket, the St. Spyridon Greek

Orthodox Church of Newport, the members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, and

Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Archdiocese of America.

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