U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, separately traveled to Europe for official overseas business recently.
Sen. Hatch traveled to Croatia last week for his final overseas trip before retiring as a U.S. senator at the end of the year. He received the Order of Prince Branimir ribbon from Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.
Sen. Moran went to Eastern Europe where he and Senate colleagues met with U.S. diplomats and foreign officials on national security issues. “This visit was important to better understand how taxpayer funding is being utilized to accomplish strategic objectives abroad,” Sen. Moran said on Oct. 29.
Sen. Hatch, 84, who has served in the Senate since 1977 and is the longest-serving Republican senator in the history of the United States, received Croatia’s state award for a special contribution to the international reputation and position of the Republic of Croatia in the United States, according to a statement from the Croatian president’s office.
The senator’s visit coincided with three milestones: the centennial of Armistice Day, the 23rd anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Accords, and the 70th anniversary of the birth of Croatian basketball player and coach Krešimir Cosic, who was a friend of Sen. Hatch and was one of Brigham Young University’s most celebrated athletes. BYU is also Hatch’s alma mater.
Sen. Hatch is the only remaining U.S. senator who played a pivotal role in the signing of the Dayton Accords in 1995, a political resolution that helped Croatia receive national independence. The lawmaker and Cosic, who died right before the resolution was signed and who had become Croatia’s Deputy Ambassador to the United States, had worked together on the resolution.
Also during his Croatian trip, Sen. Hatch met with Croatian President Grabar-Kitarovic, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Speaker of the Parliament Gordan Jandrokovic to discuss ways to further strengthen the U.S.-Croatia bilateral relationship and advance common political, military, commercial and cultural priorities, according to his office.
Meanwhile, Sen. Moran said during his trip abroad that he consulted with elected officials, U.S. State Department personnel and foreign leaders about numerous strategic interests to America.
“I thanked them for their service to our country and their work to keep us safe,” said Sen. Moran, who also serves on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
In Chisinau, Moldova, Sen. Moran met with the Moldovan speaker, members of Parliament and U.S. Embassy personnel on issues including Russian aggression, bolstering U.S. exports and resource needs, according to the senator’s office.
“In Vienna, the delegation met with U.S. State Department embassy staff and with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s legal attaché on issues such as ongoing counterterrorism efforts, the growing prevalence of cybercrime and other law enforcement-related matters,” the lawmaker said.
Sen. Moran’s last stop in Europe was Tallinn, Estonia, where U.S. Embassy staff discussed similar issues, as well as Estonia’s military cooperation and collaboration with America and the FBI’s role in promoting U.S. security abroad, among other topics, according to his office.
“Defending our nation necessitates an increased focus on cybersecurity and election protection and, as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding for the FBI, the discussions I had in Europe will help inform my work in Washington, D.C., on these serious issues,” Sen. Moran said.