2019 -- S 0730

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING MARCH 25, 2019, AS THE 198TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK

INDEPENDENCE DAY

     

     Introduced By: Senators Raptakis, Euer, Ruggerio, Gallo, and Nesselbush

     Date Introduced: March 26, 2019

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

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

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

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

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

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

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

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to the Greek people during their struggle for independence; and

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

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

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

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

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last 100 years; and

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

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maintains excellent relations with Muslim nations and Israel, and demonstrates religious

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tolerance; and

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     WHEREAS, The Ancient Macedonians were Hellenes and the northern Province of

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Greece, Macedonia, are their Hellenic descendants; and

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

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democracy, peace, stability, and human rights; and

 

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     WHEREAS, Over the past year, the United States has significantly increased its

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engagement with Greece in the maritime sector. In partnership with the Greek shipping fleet, the

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United States is helping Greece and all of Southeast Europe ensure energy independence; and

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     WHEREAS, March 25, 2019, Greek Independence Day, marks the 198th Anniversary of

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

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

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States share; and

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     WHEREAS, The role of United States innovation and technology in Greece's shipping

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sector where ONEX also announced its additional plans for other operations here in Greece were

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highlighted at the 2018 Thessaloniki International Fair; and

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     WHEREAS, In December of 2018, at the United States-Greece Strategic Dialogue, it was

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clear that both nations, along with their EU partners, are united in their belief that Greece is a

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pillar of stability in a region that stretches from the Black sea to the Mediterranean and on to the

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Persian Gulf that is vital to United States Interests; and

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     WHEREAS, In September of 2018, the United States participation as the host nation in

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the Greek City of Thessaloniki in the 83rd Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, under the

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auspices of United States Ambassador Geoffrey R. Pyatt, highlighted a landmark event in Greek-

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United States relations and an economic partnership between the two nations; and

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     WHEREAS, The United States Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, stressed during the

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energy conference organized by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), that

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the presence of major American companies at the TIF is a sign of trust in the future of Greece's

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economy and of America's desire to be a part of it; and

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

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

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nations were born; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

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hereby celebrates March 25, 2019, as the 198th Anniversary of Greek Independence, reaffirms

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Rhode island's abiding commitment to the magnificent principles of democracy and religious

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freedom, and urges Turkey to respects the rights and religious freedoms of the Ecumenical

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Patriarchate; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate commends Greece as it assumes an increasing leadership

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role in resolving long-standing diplomatic issues in its neighborhood, and we affirm our common

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vision to integrate the countries of the region firmly in European and Euro-Atlantic institutions;

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and

 

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

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

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

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Orthodox Church of Newport, the member of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the

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Honorable Stratos Efthymiou, Consul General of the Hellenic Republic in Boston, and

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Archbishop Demtrios of the Greek Archdiocese of America.

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