STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE
_____
JOINT RESOLUTION CELEBRATING MARCH 25, 2021 AS THE
200TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE AND
CELEBRATING DEMOCRACY IN GREECE AND THE UNITED
STATES
WHEREAS, on March 25, 1821, the Feast Day of the Annunciation, the Greek nation
began a war of independence and overthrew the Ottoman Empire, which had oppressed and
enslaved its people since the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and by this war reinstituted a
democracy, reclaiming its ancient heritage as the "Cradle of Democracy"; 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 the values our nations hold in common
has been high, as hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in Greece during World War
II; and
WHEREAS, modern-day Greece is a valuable and trusted ally of the United States and is
one of only 3 nations in the world outside of the former British Empire that have joined the
United States in every major international conflict in the last 100 years; 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, many American philhellenes participated and fought in the Greek War of
Independence; and
WHEREAS, on October 4, 2019, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited
Greece, where he met with Greek leaders, and together they signed an update to the Mutual
Defense Cooperation Agreement; and
WHEREAS, Maine has been served in the United States Congress by 2 Greek Americans:
the Honorable Peter Kyros, who served in the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1975,
and the Honorable Olympia Snowe, who served in the House of Representatives from 1979 to
1995 and the Senate from 1995 to 2013; and
WHEREAS, the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association, or "WHIA," composed
of several hundred members in over 30 countries, is the premier organization promoting
Hellenism among the Greek diaspora over the past 2 decades and its recent president, Peter
Katsambanis, has called upon Hellenes abroad to help other nations celebrate their heritage;
and
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 WHEREAS, two Greek American former members of the Maine Legislature, the
Honorable Zachary Matthews and the Honorable Stavros Mendros, helped form the WHIA,
with the Honorable Stavros Mendros being a charter member and elected to the inaugural board
of directors; and
WHEREAS, a high-level review of the United States-Greece Strategic Dialogue took
place in Greece on September 28, 2020, which underscored Greece’s importance to the United
States as a geostrategic partner in the Eastern Mediterranean and Balkans and as an important
NATO ally; and
WHEREAS, in support of the "Greece 2021" Committee established by the government
of Greece, the United States Mission in Greece has launched a campaign to celebrate the
bicentennial of Greek Independence and the 200 years of friendship between the United States
and Greece; and
WHEREAS, it is proper and fitting that the United States celebrate this anniversary with
the Greek people and reaffirm the democratic principles from which our 2 great nations were
born; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Thirtieth Legislature, now
assembled in the First Special Session, on behalf of the people we represent, take this
opportunity to celebrate March 25, 2021 as the 200th Anniversary of Greek Independence, and
we reaffirm Maine's abiding commitment to the principles of democracy and religious
tolerance.
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