Congratulating the people of the Republic of Turkey and Turkish Americans nationwide on Turkish National Sovereignty and Children's Day.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 931 Congratulating the people of the Republic of Turkey and Turkish Americans nationwide on Turkish National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 21, 2020 Mr. COHEN (for himself and Ms. FOXX of North Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Congratulating the people of the Republic of Turkey and Turkish Americans nationwide on Turkish National Sov- ereignty and Children’s Day. Whereas, every year on April 23, the people of Turkey and Turkish Americans celebrate Turkish National Sov- ereignty and Children’s Day, commemorating the day when the Turkish Grand National Assembly was founded; Whereas, on April 23, 1920, the Turkish Grand National As- sembly was formally established, and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the visionary leader of modern Turkey, became its first President and led the Turkish national independ- ence movement; Whereas the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assem- bly served, both symbolically and functionally, to ensure VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:32 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR931.IH HR931 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 931 IH that sovereignty was taken from religious rule and the sultan and given to the people; Whereas Anatolia, home of the Republic of Turkey, has been a cradle of civilizations for millennia; Whereas James Madison and the Founding Fathers of Amer- ica took inspiration from Patara, Turkey, the city state of the Lycian Confederation, in drafting the Constitution of the United States; Whereas Turkey and the United States resumed diplomatic ties, severed by the Ottoman Empire, in February 1927, under the respective leaderships of Presidents Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Calvin Coolidge; Whereas Ataturk said, in an interview with an American journalist in 1922, that ‘‘[t]he American ideal is our ideal. As you had a declaration of independence, we also have our national pact. Both of these documents are of the same nature; like you, we also wanted independence. Turkey and America are democratic societies. . . . Lin- coln and Washington [b]oth worked for the advancement, elevation and prosperity of America. . . . This high serv- ice is the service which a person assumes without think- ing of himself.’’; Whereas Ataturk also said ‘‘now we Turks alone control our own homeland, we are the masters of our own house’’, and declared that sovereignty belongs to the people with- out any conditions or restrictions; Whereas President John F. Kennedy said, ‘‘Ataturk, with his historic achievements, was one of the greatest leaders of [the 20th] century. He was a towering figure of human ideals. His extraordinary leadership and his military ge- nius accomplished so much for his country; first in bat- VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR931.IH HR931 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 931 IH tlefields, and then in building his nation, materially and in spirit. He created a modern and sovereign state from the ashes of a defeated empire. He was a great peace- maker, an ultimate reformer and a torch-bearer of free- dom. He won not only the heart of his nation but the hearts of the oppressed nations as well. We all miss him.’’; Whereas Turkish Americans are an important part of the fabric of the United States, as evinced by their contribu- tions to the arts, science, academia, law, business, and political life of this country; and Whereas Turkish Americans serve as goodwill ambassadors promoting greater understanding between the United States and Turkey, by informing the people of the United States about their rich Turkish cultural heritage, and the importance of the strategic partnership to advance mu- tual interests between the United States and Turkey: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the commemoration of the found- 2 ing of the Turkish Parliament, which laid the foun- 3 dation for the future establishment of a democratic 4 secular, Republic of Turkey; 5 (2) reiterates its support for democratic institu- 6 tions, Turkey’s elected representatives, and the legis- 7 lative and supervisor functions of Turkey’s Par- 8 liament; 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR931.IH HR931 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 931 IH (3) commends the productive contributions of 1 the Turkish American community to the United 2 States; and 3 (4) congratulates the people of Turkey and 4 Turkish Americans nationwide on Turkish National 5 Sovereignty and Children’s Day. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:20 Apr 21, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR931.IH HR931 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS