One of the darkest pages of world history is the genocide of the Armenians by the neo-Turks during the last years of the Ottoman Empire, says the Commissioner of the Presidency Fotis Fotiou.
According to a statement from the Presidency, in a message on April 24, he says it was established as the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day so that humanity will never forget one of the most heinous crimes that led to the extermination of a people in a systematic and mass manner.
"One hundred and seven years have passed since then and, as every April 24, we especially commemorate the memory of the innocent victims and express our respect and support for the friendly people of Armenia who resisted with fortitude, dignity and self-confidence the enormous consequences of the crime of genocide against them," it notes.
As he says, the victims of Turkish atrocities are estimated at one and a half million, while thousands of other Armenians were tortured and took the impoverished path of refugeeism. "A few years later, the genocide of the Greeks of Pontus and Asia Minor followed, which also remains a crime unpunished and we can never forget," he says. He speaks of persistent and premeditated crimes which Turkey continues to deny committing and which have led to attitudes and behaviour on its part that "flagrantly offend human existence and the due respect for any concept of law".
Greeks and Armenians shared martyrdom, and Cyprus is one of the first countries in the world to recognize and condemn the Armenian genocide, supporting every effort for the restoration and recognition of the one and only historical truth.
Paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the genocide, Mr. Fotiou concludes by underlining the feelings of friendship and brotherhood in the solidarity of the two peoples towards the future.
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