A ceremony in memory of the 353,000 victims of the Pontian Genocide was held at the Pontian Genocide Memorial in Agia Sophia Square, Thessaloniki.

THE ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister of the Interior Efstathiou Konstantinidis who attended as a representative of the president of the Greek government, the president of SYRIZA-PS, Stefanou Kasselakisof the president of PASOK/KINAL Nikos Androulakisthe governor of Central Macedonia and president of the Union of Regions of Greece Apostolos Tzitzikostasof the mayor of Thessaloniki Stylianou Angeloudisrepresentatives of the political and military leadership and Pontic Federations, Associations and bodies.

“For us, for my generation, these victims are not our distant ancestors, they are our grandparents. Uprooting is not a distant story, it is their narratives, the ones we heard through sobs from their mouths. That is why for us the defense of the truth, the rendering of honor, is an even greater responsibility. How great is our responsibility to transmit this truth to the next generations and let the defense of the passions of the Pontians become a defense of peace for the whole world. The Greek man and woman don’t hate anyone, but we don’t give a damn about our Greek rights”, stated, among other things, after the end of the event, the Deputy Minister of the Interior Efstathios Konstantinidis.

“We are here today and this year to honor the memory of the 353,000 souls who were slaughtered during the Pontian genocide, but also to send a resounding message, that all of us united will continue in the coming years with all our strength to claim the Catholic recognition of the genocide of the Pontians”, pointed out the regional governor of Thessaloniki Apostolos Tzizikostas.

For his part, the mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis he emphasized that “today is a day of remembrance and sadness. One hundred and five years ago, the more than thousand-year presence of the Pontic Greeks ended in a tragic and unacceptable way. Efforts to internationalize genocide must never stop. We continue because this heinous crime must remain in the memory of all of us,” he said.

In the Pontian Genocide Memorial laid wreaths, among others, as a representative of the Greek Prime Minister, the Deputy Minister of Interior Efstathios Konstantinidis, the president of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance Stefanos Kasselakis, the president of PASOK/KINAL Nikos Androulakis, the MP of N.D. Konstantinos Giulekas as the representative of the president of the Hellenic Parliament, the MEP Emmanuel Fragos as the representative of the president of the “Hellenic Solution” Kyriakos Velopoulos, the regional governor of Central Macedonia and president of the Union of Regions of Greece Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the mayor of Thessaloniki Stylianos Angeloudis, the consul general of Cyprus of the Republic Konstantinos Polykarpou, Zoe Tsarouha as the representative of the Democratic Patriotic Movement “NIKI”, on behalf of the ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in Greece the honorary consul Sargi Stagazian, the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Pontic Associations Christina Sahinidou, the president of the Association of Pontic Associations of Thessaloniki , of the Pontian Federation of Greece Pavlos Galgalidis, the president of the Federation of Refugee Associations of Greece Antonis Orailoglou, while wreaths were laid by representatives of the government and local authorities, representatives of Pontian Federations, Associations, Agencies and Returnees, as well as representatives of Legal Entities.

At the event, the word “Immortals” was resoundingly heard, while afterwards the hymn to Pontus was played accompanied by the lyre by Arsenio Orphanidis.

Earlier in the event, a memorial service was held at the Holy Church of God’s Wisdom, followed by a speech by the former regional councilor and MEP candidate, Voula Patoulidou.

“The Pontic issue is an open, bleeding wound. The world community must recognize the crime of genocide committed against the Pontians. Memory is not only a right for us. It is a fundamental obligation of self-awareness”, pointed out, among others, Mrs. Patoulidou.

The events for the Day of Remembrance of the Genocide of the Pontic Greeks are also taking place today at the headquarters of the other regional units of the Central Macedonia Region, while at noon, in Aristotelous Square, a chess tournament will be held in memory of the victims of the Genocide of the Pontic Greeks in cooperation with the Union of Chess Associations of Thessaloniki – Halkidiki and the Chess Club of Polichni. 200 chess players from all over Greece and abroad will participate. Among them the Greek champion Stefanidis Maria ‘Anna and the European champion Anastasia Avramidou as well as a number of top chess players. In the late afternoon, a peaceful march will be held by Pontian clubs towards the Turkish consulate.