Committee on Human Relations
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, on August 24, 1991 Ukraine proclaimed independence from the Soviet Union, and its people followed in voting for this independence in a democratic referendum in unheard o'f numbers; and
WHEREAS, large numbers of Americans of Ukrainian descent are residents of Chicago, who have preserved the traditions of their ancestral homeland, and have strived for its continued independence; and
WHEREAS, Ukraine's Crimean peninsula has become the focus of one of the most alarming confrontations between Russia and the West since the fall of the Soviet Union; and
WHEREAS, Russia's parliament has approved a request by Russian President Vladimir Putin to use Russian forces across Ukraine, causing Ukraine's acting President Olexander Turchynov to place Ukraine's army on full alert; and
WHEREAS, Russia's Black Sea fleet is based on the peninsula at the Ukrainian port city of Sevastopol and Russian forces and pro-Russian activists have mobilized throughout the region, surrounding official buildings and military bases; and
WHEREAS, Russia has yet to explain the intentions of the Russian government regarding its recent increased military presence and escalating military activity in the Crimean peninsula; and
WHEREAS, leaders from around the world, including U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have expressed alarm over the Russian deployment and have called for a de-escalation of tension through the withdrawal of troops from the Crimean peninsula; and
WHEREAS, Former Mayor Richard M. Daley established by Executive Order 90-1 the Chicago Sister Cities International Program on February 28, 1990; and
WHEREAS, Moscow and Chicago have a relationship due to their part in the Chicago Sister Cities International Program, under the auspices of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; the program provides leadership to develop, manage and coordinate comprehensive exchanges with Chicago, and aims to increase international trade, economic development, promotion of exchanges of culture, education, medicine, environment, technology and social service opportunities with its sister cities for the benefit of the City of Chicago, its residents and businesses; and
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Mayor and the Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, do hereby stand in alliance with the many Chicago residents of Ukrainian descent and the world's leaders urging a peaceful end to the recent Russian aggression; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we, the Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago do hereby urge the Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events to suspend the City of Chicago's Sister City agreement with the City of Moscow until such time when an unconditional troop withdrawal has been effectuated from the Crimean peninsula; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago, as a sign of our support for and solidarity with the legitimate democratic aspirations of the Ukrainian people and their legitimate government.
2