; (8) reaffirms United States support for the freedom, human rights, democracy, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and prosperity of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic; (9) supports municipal-level cooperation including through organizations like the Pact of Free Cities, which highlights the importance of cities in protecting and promoting democratic values, sharing best practices, and finding practical solutions to best serve citizens; (10) supports increased cooperation through the United States-Czech Strategic Dialogue and the United States-Slovak Strategic Dialogue to address common threats and challenges including in the defense and energy sectors, climate change, regional security, cyber security, and resilience to disinformation; (11) supports modernization of the Czech and Slovak Armed Forces in light of Russia’s illegal aggression in Ukraine and increased emerging threats in the region; (12) commends the Czech Republic’s and Slovak Republic’s strong support of democratic partners in the face of attempted Chinese malign influence in Europe and ongoing hostile behavior by the People’s Republic of China; and (13) reaffirms the United States commitment to strengthening and supporting freedom of the press, civil society, and rule of law in Central Europe.