R 131 |
2016 -- H 8010 Enacted 03/29/2016 |
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
CELEBRATING MARCH 25, 2016 AS THE 195TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY |
Introduced By: Representatives McNamara, Lancia, Malik, Azzinaro, and Corvese |
Date Introduced: March 29, 2016 |
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, A record 1.2 million people requested asylum with the European Union in |
2015. Greece faced the brunt of this exodus, receiving more than 650,000 migrants in 2015, with |
asylum seekers arriving at the rate of 8,000 a day. The nation of Greece and its people have |
generously assisted these applicants and have shown great compassion for them as they seek out a |
better life for themselves, one filled with personal freedom and economic security. We all owe a |
debt of gratitude to the Greek people; and |
WHEREAS, March 25, 2016, Greek Independence Day, marks the 195th 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, 2016, as the 195th 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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LC005537 |
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