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March 25, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
SENATE RESOLUTION 661—RECOGNIZING THE 205TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
INDEPENDENCE OF GREECE AND CELEBRATING DEMOCRACY IN GREECE AND THE
UNITED STATES
Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Lummis, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Coons, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Reed, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Justice, and Mr. Johnson) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 661
Whereas the people of ancient Greece developed the concept
of democracy, in which the supreme power to govern was vested
in the people;
Whereas the founding fathers of the United States, many of
whom read Greek political philosophy in the original Greek
language, drew heavily on the political experience and
philosophy of ancient Greece in forming the representative
democracy of the United States;
Whereas Petros Mavromichalis, the former Commander-in-Chief
of Greece and a founder of the modern Greek state, said to
the citizens of the United States in 1821, “It is in your
land that liberty has fixed her abode and . . . imitating
you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of
them if we succeed in resembling you.”;
Whereas, in an October 21, 1823, letter to Greek scholar
Adamantios Koraes discussing the ongoing Greek struggle for
independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “[n]o people
sympathise more feelingly than ours with the sufferings of
your countrymen, none offer more sincere and ardent prayers
to heaven for their success”;
Whereas, on January 19, 1824, in a speech in support of his
resolution to send an American envoy to Greece amid its
struggle for independence, then-Congressman Daniel Webster
recognized “the struggle of an interesting and gallant
people . . . contending against fearful odds, for being, and
for the common privilege of human nature”;
Whereas individual American Philhellenes, including future
abolitionists Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe and Jonathan Peckham
Miller, and George Jarvis, traveled to Greece to fight
alongside and provide aid to the Greek people in their
struggle for independence;
Whereas the people of the United States generously sent
humanitarian assistance to the people of Greece during their
struggle for independence, often through philhellene
committees;
Whereas Greece heroically resisted Axis forces at a crucial
moment in World War II, forcing Adolf Hitler to change his
timeline and delaying the attack on the Soviet Union;
Whereas Winston Churchill said that “if there had not been
the virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which
the outcome of World War II would have been” and “no longer
will we say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes
fight like Greeks”;
Whereas hundreds of thousands of Greeks were killed during
World War II;
Whereas Greece consistently allied with the United States
in major international conflicts throughout its history as a
modern state and has been a member of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization since 1952;
Whereas the United States has demonstrated its support for
the trilateral partnership of Greece, Israel, and Cyprus by
enacting into law the Eastern Mediterranean Security and
Energy Partnership Act of 2019 (title II of division J of
Public Law 116-94) and through joint engagement with Greece,
Israel, and Cyprus in the “3+1” format;
Whereas this support was bolstered in the United States-
Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021
(subtitle B of title XIII of Public Law 117-81), establishing
a 3+1 Interparliamentary Group to discuss the expansion of
cooperation in areas of common concern;
Whereas the United States maintains close bilateral
cooperation with Greece on security, energy, and other shared
priorities, including the commitment to security cooperation
that led to the conclusion of a Mutual Defense Cooperation
Agreement, which was updated in 2019 and 2021, in order to
enhance defense ties between the two countries and promote
stability in the broader region;
Whereas the ongoing United States-Greece Strategic Dialogue
reflects Greece's importance to the United States as a
geostrategic partner, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean
and Balkans, and as an important NATO ally;
Whereas, on November 13, 2023, the United States and Greece
signed a memorandum of understanding to advance energy
security and cooperation in the Western Balkans;
Whereas regular high-level engagement between the
Governments of the United States and Greece continued through
2024 and into 2025, during which both governments reaffirmed
the strategic importance of the United States-Greece
relationship and pledged to continue and increase cooperation
based on shared values and interests;
Whereas, in the framework of the fifth United States-Greece
Strategic Dialogue, on February 9, 2024, Greece became the
35th country to sign onto the Artemis Accords, affirming its
commitment to a peaceful, sustainable, and transparent
cooperation in space;
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;
Whereas Greece has shown a strong commitment to meeting
NATO defense spending obligations, recognizing the need for a
more robust European pillar within NATO;
Whereas Greece remains an integral part of the European
Union and a current nonpermanent member of the United Nations
Security Council;
Whereas the Greek-American community has greatly
contributed to American society and has helped forge the
strong ties between the United States and Greece;
Whereas the Governments and people of Greece and the United
States are at the forefront of efforts to advance freedom,
democracy, peace, stability, and human rights;
Whereas those efforts and similar ideals have forged a
close bond between the peoples of Greece and the United
States; and
Whereas it is proper and desirable for the United States to
celebrate March 25, 2026, Greek Independence Day, with the
people of Greece and to reaffirm the democratic principles
from which those two great countries were founded: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) extends sincere congratulations and best wishes to the
people of Greece as they celebrate the 205th anniversary of
the independence of Greece;
(2) expresses support for the principles of democratic
governance to which the people of Greece are committed;
(3) commends the Greek-American community for its
contributions to the United States and its role as a bridge
between the two countries;
(4) notes the important role that Greece has played in the
wider European region and in the community of nations since
gaining its independence 205 years ago;
(5) appreciates the ever-stronger bilateral relationship,
based on shared values and interests, including the important
energy and security partnership that exists between the
United States and Greece, and the important role that Greece
plays in bolstering European energy security; and
(6) appreciates Greece as a valued NATO ally and its
critical role in ensuring regional stability.