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1 - Established in 1961, JBANC has represented the Baltic-American communities and its three parent organizations, the American Latvian Association, the Estonian American National Council, and the Lithuanian American Council. Our goal has been to help coordinate their activities in Washington, DC with the U.S. Congress and administration and its related agencies in conjunction with issues related to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. We have taken great pride in over half a century in joint Baltic cooperation and in being able to help coordinate and consolidate our common interests. 2 - JBANC helped to support the Baltic countries as they sought membership in NATO, an issue that closely united the activities of Americans of Baltic heritage. That goal was achieved in 2004. 3 - Since then our mission broadened to take on new and more diverse issues related to the security and stability of the Baltic countries, ranging from supporting democracy, civil society and human movements in other regions of Europe to advocating for continued strong U.S. engagement with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, whether via military, civilian, or economic ties. 4 - We have not forgotten the tragedies of foreign occupation and oppression of the Baltic countries and peoples, or the need to remain vigilant in an era when energy is ever more used as a weapon for political gain, cyber warfare has emerged as a reality, and international economic worries are a continuous concern. 5 - JBANC has established close contacts with congressional offices and has helped to expand the Congressional Baltic Caucuses to include 52 Members in the House of Representatives. The Caucus leadership is shared between a Republican and a Democrat, Representative John Shimkus (R-IL) and Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), respectively. |
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