Congratulating the people of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic on the 30th anniversary of their independence and recognizing their substantial support to Ukraine against Russian aggression.

commends the peoples of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic for overthrowing totalitarian communist rule in 1989 and asserting their right to self-determination and affirming their allegiance to the values of democracy, free-market economics, and respect for human rights through the peaceful, nonviolent Velvet Revolution;

celebrates the lasting contributions of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic to science, the arts, culture, music, literature, politics, trade, and international affairs;

applauds the achievements of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic in building free, open, democratic, and prosperous societies over the past 30 years;

congratulates the peoples of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic on the 30th anniversary of their independence and the 105th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic;

congratulates the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic for their leadership in the European Union;

expresses gratitude for the solidarity of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic as they stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s brutal, unprovoked, and illegal invasion;

reaffirms the historical and transnational ties that bind together the countries and peoples of the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, and the United States as freedom-loving peoples and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;

recognizes the importance of the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic partnership, as long-standing partners and as NATO allies, in addressing common threats and challenges, including in the areas of climate change, energy security, advanced technologies, cyber security, and resilience to disinformation and hybrid threats;

applauds the commitment of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic to spend two percent of their gross domestic products on defense by 2024, an important commitment they have made as NATO allies; and

expresses the United States commitment to further strengthen transatlantic ties and regional security through NATO, supports a faster pace of modernization of the Czech and Slovak armed forces in light of the clear threat to transatlantic peace and security posed by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and reaffirms commitment to continue working to address new and emerging threats to our security, including the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and other authoritarian actors.