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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The United States and Nepal have enjoyed a strong |
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and productive friendship for 75 years; and |
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WHEREAS, On April 25, 1947, the U.S. became the second |
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country to establish diplomatic relations with Nepal; Nepal opened |
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its embassy in Washington, D.C., in 1958, and the American Embassy |
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in Kathmandu began operations the following year; since then, |
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high-level visits between the countries have reinforced our mutual |
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commitment, and our armies have regularly shared expertise in such |
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areas as training, disaster management, counterterrorism, security |
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cooperation, and peacekeeping capacity building; and |
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WHEREAS, The U.S. began extending development assistance to |
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Nepal in the early 1950s through the Point Four Program, supporting |
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transport, communication, agriculture, and other sectors; public |
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health aid through the years has ranged from malaria eradication |
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efforts in the middle of the last century to the donation of |
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millions of doses of vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic; and |
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WHEREAS, Following devastating 2015 earthquakes, the United |
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States supplemented recovery aid by making Nepal one of the few |
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nations to hold a single-country trade preference with the U.S., |
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and total annual bilateral trade has reached some $300 million; in |
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2022, the Nepalese government ratified the Millennium Challenge |
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Corporation Nepal Compact with the U.S. to join in the effort of |
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modernizing the country's energy and transportation sectors; and |
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WHEREAS, Many Americans and Nepalis have formed |
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people-to-people connections through educational and cultural |
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exchanges; in 2018, Nepal ranked among the top 12 sources of |
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overseas students in the U.S., and the number of Americans studying |
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in Nepal has increased as well; the beauty and cultural wealth of |
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Nepal have drawn people from all over the world to the country, and |
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Americans are a major contributor to its vibrant tourist industry; |
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the U.S. Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation has invested |
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nearly $4 million over the past two decades in 25 projects in Nepal; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, For generations, the United States and Nepal have |
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worked together in behalf of shared goals and democratic values, |
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and the bonds of friendship continue to strengthen with the passing |
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of the years; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 75th anniversary of the |
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establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and |
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Nepal. |