Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take this opportunity to rise in support of House Resolution 233 authored by my good friend…”

“Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take this opportunity to rise in support of House Resolution 233 authored by my good friend from Florida (Mr. Stearns) that recognizes the more than 200 years of sovereignty of Liechtenstein. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire 200 years ago, Liechtenstein became an independent state. Since then, it has evolved as both a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. With a population of only about 34,000 people, we cannot expect Liechtenstein to take a leading role in international affairs, but it is an important ally in the cause of supporting and promoting democracy and, despite its small size, it has an importance for the United States that exceeds its geographical reach. Exports are a major factor in the success of Liechtenstein's economy, and that outward-looking approach to commerce with the rest of the world has made it an important economic partner for the United States, creating almost 5,000 jobs here in the United States and achieving over half a billion dollars in exports to the American market in the year 2005 alone.”