Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the recent free and fair parliamentary elections and transfer of power in Armenia, reaffirming the critical importance of the United States-Armenia partnership, and for other purposes.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 452 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the recent free and fair parliamentary elections and transfer of power in Armenia, reaffirming the critical importance of the United States-Armenia partner- ship, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 20, 2019 Mr. PALLONE (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. KING of New York, and Mr. SCHIFF) submitted the following resolution; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regard- ing the recent free and fair parliamentary elections and transfer of power in Armenia, reaffirming the critical importance of the United States-Armenia partnership, and for other purposes. Whereas the United States formally recognized the independ- ence of the Republic of Armenia almost a century ago on April 23, 1920, through a letter from Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby to the Representative of the Armenian Republic, Garegin Pasdermadjian, informing him of President Woodrow Wilson’s decision; Whereas the United States recognized the reestablishment of Armenia’s independence following seven decades of Soviet VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Jun 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR452.IH HR452 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 452 IH rule on December 25, 1991, when President George H.W. Bush announced this decision in an address regarding the dissolution of the Soviet Union; Whereas the people of the Republic of Armenia showed their commitment to democracy, anticorruption measures, and rule of law during their nonviolent ‘‘Velvet Revolution’’ between April and May of 2018, leading to the peaceful transfer of executive leadership; Whereas the Velvet Revolution culminated in the December 9, 2018, national parliamentary elections that ‘‘were held with respect for fundamental freedoms and enjoyed broad public trust that needs to be preserved through further electoral reforms’’, according to the Organization for Se- curity and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election ob- servation mission; Whereas the longstanding friendship of the American and Ar- menian peoples reinforced during decades of principled United States leadership for Armenian independence from Soviet tyranny, and expanded, in the years since Armenia’s reborn independence, through regional and international security cooperation, and mutually bene- ficial bilateral political, economic, military, democracy, and development partnerships; Whereas almost a century after the United States first for- mally recognized the independence of the Republic of Ar- menia the bilateral political, economic, and strategic part- nership between the two countries continues to flourish; Whereas United States-Armenia ties are deeply rooted in shared democratic values, the United States enduring commitment to Armenia’s independence, and a common vision of regional peace and global security, as reflected VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Jun 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR452.IH HR452 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 452 IH in Armenia’s membership in NATO’s Partnership for Peace and its record of deployments as part of United States-led peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kosovo, and Mali; Whereas President Donald Trump, in a September 21, 2018, message to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, stated, ‘‘We thank you for your steadfast partnership on many fronts, including contributing to NATO operations and showing great generosity in welcoming Syrian refu- gees’’; Whereas Armenia remains constructively engaged in the OSCE Minsk Group process, co-chaired by the United States, which seeks to strengthen the 1994 ceasefire agreement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Nagorno Karabakh, and to facilitate a durable and democratic peace; Whereas Armenia’s aid-to-trade transition requires continued United States leadership on trade and investment pro- motion, upgraded engagement through the Economic Task Force and Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Council, and the exploration of mutually bene- ficial economic accords; and Whereas continued United States investment into initiatives that further government transparency, strengthen demo- cratic institutions, and empower civil society in Armenia will only help to bolster the historic ties and friendship between the two countries: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) celebrates almost a century of United 2 States-Armenia relations, the enduring friendship of 3 the American and Armenian peoples, the strong 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Jun 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR452.IH HR452 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 452 IH bonds between the two governments, and the many 1 contributions Americans of Armenian heritage con- 2 tinue to make to the United States; 3 (2) honors and congratulates the people of Ar- 4 menia on their peaceful and constitutional leadership 5 transition and the December 9, 2018, democratic 6 parliamentary elections broadly recognized as free 7 and fair; and 8 (3) calls for continued United States leadership 9 in helping empower the Armenian people to solidify 10 their progress by strengthening United States-Arme- 11 nia relations through bilateral visits, defense con- 12 sultations to draw Armenia closer to the United 13 States, increased cooperation on international peace- 14 keeping operations, targeted trade and investment 15 promotion, and support for political party develop- 16 ment, transparency, rule of law, civil society develop- 17 ment, and media freedom. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Jun 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR452.IH HR452 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS