Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on support for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 416 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on support for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 3, 2019 Mr. CONAWAY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on support for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Whereas the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lith- uania are highly valued allies of the United States, and they have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to advancing our mutual interests as well as those of the NATO Alliance; Whereas Operation Atlantic Resolve is a series of exercises and coordinating efforts demonstrating the United States commitment to its European partners and allies, includ- ing the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lith- uania, with the shared goal of peace and stability in the region; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:29 Jun 04, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR416.IH HR416 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 416 IH Whereas Operation Atlantic Resolve strengthens communica- tion and understanding, and is an important effort to deter Russian aggression in the region; Whereas through Operation Atlantic Resolve, the European Deterrence Initiative undertakes exercises, training, and rotational presence necessary to reassure and integrate our allies, including the Baltic countries, into a common defense framework; Whereas all three Baltic countries contributed to the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force in Afghani- stan, sending troops and operating with few caveats; and Whereas the Baltic countries continue to commit resources and troops to the Resolute Support Mission in Afghani- stan: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) reaffirms its support for the principle of col- 2 lective defense in Article 5 of the North Atlantic 3 Treaty for our NATO allies, including Estonia, Lat- 4 via, and Lithuania; 5 (2) supports the sovereignty, independence, ter- 6 ritorial integrity, and inviolability of Estonia, Latvia, 7 and Lithuania as well as their internationally recog- 8 nized borders, and expresses concerns over increas- 9 ingly aggressive military maneuvering by the Rus- 10 sian Federation near their borders and airspace; 11 (3) expresses concern over and condemns sub- 12 versive and destabilizing activities by the Russian 13 Federation within the Baltic countries; and 14 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:29 Jun 04, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR416.IH HR416 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 416 IH (4) encourages the Administration to further 1 enhance defense cooperation efforts with Estonia, 2 Latvia, and Lithuania and supports the efforts of 3 their Governments to provide for the defense of their 4 people and sovereign territory. 5 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Jun 04, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR416.IH HR416 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS