On January 8, 2020 the United States Senate adopted a resolution (S. RES. 343) commemorating several important anniversaries in the modern history of the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic. The resolution commemorates the 30th anniversary of the ‘Velvet Revolution’ in the former Czechoslovakia, as well as anniversaries of the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 and the independent Slovak Republic in 1993. The measure was introduced by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire), the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, together with Subcommittee Chairman Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin).
As stated on the Slovak Embassy website (http://www.mzv.sk/web/washington-en/home) “In the resolution, the Senate commends the peoples of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic for their achievements over the past 30 years and recognizes the contributions of the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic as members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It also reaffirms the strong historical and cultural ties between the peoples of the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, and the United States.”
The Ministry of Foreign Relations and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic also notes that “the resolution is an acknowledgment of excellent bilateral relations between the Slovak Republic and the United States that have recently experienced substantial progress in various spheres. We also view the adoption of the resolution as an important and positive impetus by the U.S. Senate to exert maximum efforts aimed at maintaining a strong transatlantic bond, which despite the current complicated development in the world politics has no alternative.”
Friends of Slovakia congratulates the Slovak Foreign Ministry and the Slovak Embassy staff in Washington DC on attaining this important recognition of Slovak and Czech achievements toward freedom and democracy and looks forward to continuing to build on the strong bonds of friendship between the people of Slovakia and the United States.
The text of the Senate Resolution can be found here: https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/sres343/BILLS-116sres343ats.pdf