Roskam, Price Host Debrief of House Democracy Partnership Delegation to Indonesia, Kosovo, Nepal and Timor-Leste
WASHINGTON, DC— Yesterday House Democracy Partnership (HDP) Chairman Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Ranking Member David Price (D-NC) hosted a bipartisan debrief of a recent Congressional delegation to Indonesia, Kosovo, Nepal and Timor-Leste to meet with members of parliament, heads of state, and civil society leaders. This was the first Congressional delegation to Nepal since the April 2015 earthquake.
The Chairman and Ranking Member were joined by delegation members Susan Davis (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), and Jim McDermott (D-WA). Sam Farr (D-CA) and Gwen Moore (D-WI), active HDP members, also joined the briefing, as did Nepal's Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Arjun Kumar Karki, Kosovo's Ambassador-Designate, Vlora Citaku, as well as representatives from the Indonesian and Timor-Leste embassies, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, The Asia Foundation, and the Council on Foreign Relations, among others.
"Today's briefing demonstrates our commitment as the Congressional members of the House Democracy Partnership to share our findings with you," said Chairman Roskam. "The active involvement of so many members in this briefing and on the delegations is an important sign of how meaningful the partnership is to us all."
"This visit, as well as the HDP's previous visit this summer to Ukraine and Georgia, once again demonstrated the value legislators place on meeting with U.S. members of Congress," said Ranking Member Price. "I was especially pleased that we had the chance to build on our work with Nepal after the earthquake as the Nepalese work to draft a new Constitution."
"It is remarkable how much we all have in common, despite the differences in our countries," said Representative Dina Titus. "As legislators, we are all concerned with executive oversight, accountability and constituent outreach."
Representative Jim McDermott noted the progress from his past visits to Timor-Leste. "I was in Timor when we started the work on the congressional library, and over time, it's been clear how important it is for members to stay engaged, understand their struggles to build their democracy, and learn from one each other."
"It's always striking to see how tough it is to build a democracy," remarked Representative Susan Davis. "Nepal, for example, in drafting its new constitution is wrestling with defining citizenship. All countries are working hard to get the best information possible to develop policies and address key challenges."
The Ambassadors from Nepal and Kosovo underscored the importance of U.S. assistance to helping each country to develop. "I was a refugee just 16 years ago," said Vlora Citaku, Kosovo's AmbassadorDesignateto the U.S. "I was one of a million Kosovars deported in 1999 and now I stand here today as the Ambassador to the United States -- the best testimony of the progress that my country has experienced and in great part the result of U.S. support."