With memorial service and wreath laying on Monument to Pontian GenocideIn Hagia Sophia Square, they honored the victims tonight, one hundred and six years later, their descendants, members of the Pampontian Federation of Greece, members of Pontian associations, official guests and ordinary citizens.
At the monument a minute’s silence was observed and the National Anthem was heard from the band, and after the greetings, traditional dances and songs were followed by the Pontian lyre sounds.
The event was attended by, inter alia, the Deputy Minister of Interior (Macedonia-Thrace) Konstantinos Gioulekas, MPs, party representatives, self-government and officials.
“They are not only seeking justification for the 353,000 victims of the genocide of Pontian Hellenism, justification is seeking world history,” underlined Deputy Minister of Interior (Macedonia-Thrace) Costas Gioulekas, adding: “Why are these crimes against humanity, victims ”.
“106 years later, 353,000 souls seek justification, not for one, but for two genocides, the first to be 106 years ago and the second, the one that continues with non -international recognition,” said Thessaloniki Mayor Stelios Angeloudis.
“We stand with respect to the memory of the hundreds of thousands of victims of Pontian Hellenism, who were exterminated inhumane and abominable,” said Central Macedonia Regional Governor Athena Aidonas and added: In the next generations, in the course of Greece, but here in Central Macedonia and in Thessaloniki, the wounds are open.
“We do the obvious, we unite our voices and continue to claim the restoration of historical truth,” said the Vice -Mayor of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Unity, Costas Youtikas.
“We bend our heads for our 353,000 assassinated ancestors, but we tighten the fist and shouting at the Genocide,” said the president of the Pontic Association of Thessaloniki Prefecture of Thessaloniki, PAO Galleidis.
The keynote speaker, President of the Cypriot Community of France and the rest of Europe, a political scientist, an internationalist, Evagoras Mavromatis referred to the brilliant and centuries -old presence of the Greeks of Pontus in their ancestral fires “before cutting the thread”
“They built important institutions and contributed to humanity glorious personalities, who were distinguished in education, culture, commerce and the economy, built enclosed churches, set up newspapers, theaters and clubs, founded the famous tutorials, 1,250 teachers operated 1,130 temples and 22 monasteries and 1,650 chapels ”.
Mr Mavromatis emphasized that Turkey is accountable for the crimes that were then committed in Pontus, stressing that “as long as it is not reported it will continue on the same course, as it does with the illegal invasion and possession of part of Cyprus” and continued:
“We will continue to strive for international recognition of the Pontian genocide. Turkey to recognize the genocides it has caused and apologize to the victims. Hellenism does not experience other genocides, new defeats, new uproar.”
A protest march was followed by the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki.