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- Ελληνικά
May 19th is not an ordinary day for Hellenism. Since 1994 it has been officially established by a unanimous decision of the Hellenic Parliament as a day of commemoration of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus. Today, Hellenism everywhere and especially the Greek Pontians all over the world, wherever they are, wherever they were after those tragic years of coordinated, systematic, inhuman and merciless uprooting from the land that gave birth to them, revive the historical memory of this sad anniversary and honour their proud ancestry.
My presence here today, at the memorial service for the victims of the Pontian Genocide, and then at the unveiling of the dedicatory column in the adjacent Park of Pontian Hellenism, has a dual semantics. On the one hand, it is intended to pay due tribute on behalf of the State to the memory of the victims of the Turkish atrocity against our Pontian brothers and sisters. At the same time, however, it sends a loud and clear message about the universality of Hellenism: Hellenism is united, the struggle of every Greek is the struggle of all Greeks.
In our case in particular, with the Greek Pontians we are not only bound by our common ancestry, we are also bound by many other things, such as history, language, culture and faith. Panagia Soumela, along with other comparable shrines and ecclesiastical monuments of Pontus will always stand next to the Apostle Andreas and the other monuments trampled by the Turkish invader. They will be symbols and testimonies of the religious piety and faith of Pontians and Cypriots and will stimulate their souls in the course of history.
Undoubtedly, the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontus and the events of the Asia Minor Catastrophe in general constitute one of the darkest pages of Greek and world history. An uninterrupted historical course of almost three thousand years of Greek presence and Greek civilization in the land of Pontus was violently, brutally and gradually interrupted by the neo-Turkish movement. The strategic planning, because it was a specific plan and plan for the ethnic cleansing and elimination of every Greek element in the regions of Pontus, began already at the end of the Balkan Wars and extended until 1923. The furious and merciless effort of the neo-Turks against everything Greek began with the campaign in Samsun on 19 May 1919, which marked the beginning of the end of the historical presence of the Greeks of Pontus and Asia Minor in general.
It is an indisputable fact that history alone, with documents, testimonies and irrefutable sources, has demonstrated convincingly and internationally the extent and methods of the persecution and the attempt to uproot the Greeks of Pontus. The Labour Battalions, the death marches, the repeated rapes, the atrocities, the uncontrolled massacres, the burnings and the holocausts are now known and proven to everyone. It is also admitted, however, that a great restraint on the unbridled impulses of the Ceton Turks was the Pontian rebels, who bravely and in spite of the times and numbers were able to restrain their fury to a large extent. Those who survived fled to the then Soviet Union or to the already suffering Greece, carrying with them only their faith, the strength of their souls, their bitter memories and an icon in their hand.
The Greek Pontians sought other homelands and tried to start a new life. But they never forgot their origins, despite the adventures and adverse conditions. On the contrary, they have kept their identity intact to this day and passed on their culture, knowledge, intelligence and hard work to the whole of Greece and many other parts of the world, including our homeland. They managed to assimilate every new life and homeland without being assimilated. They managed to germinate again without being uprooted from their identity. Especially in Greece, one can easily measure the magnitude of the contribution of the Pontians to modern Greek history in the arts, sports, politics, education, business and elsewhere.
The Greek Pontians have proven, more than any other part of Greater Hellenism, the strength of their soul and their determination. On the other hand, it is a fact that fate has destined them to be a people who are unaffected and refugees. Successive migrations, due to socio-economic circumstances, became a way of life for many. Thus, especially during the period of the fall of the Soviet Union, many of our Greek Pontian brothers, whether from Georgia, other countries or Greece, arrived in our country and joined their souls with ours. Our history, our common destiny and our common struggle for survival were united. Greek Cypriots loved Cyprus and its society and Greek Cypriots increasingly want to learn about Pontos, to visit the pilgrimages, to learn to sing and dance Pontian and to recognize the value and importance of Pontian tradition and history.
Our homeland, Cyprus, itself a victim of Turkey's illegal expansionist policy, is hospitable to the persecuted Pontians. The State has always tried to be there for you, to support you, to help you in every possible way in the various problems you face, such as, for example, the acquisition of a building which will serve as a meeting place and as a reference point for the preservation of your rich cultural heritage, your traditions and for the preservation of the special characteristics of the Pontians.
At the same time, I am well aware of various other requests you have concerning humanitarian issues that affect your daily life.
At the same time, I am well aware of various other requests you have concerning humanitarian issues that affect your daily life.
At the same time, I am well aware of various other requests you have concerning humanitarian issues that affect your daily life, By analogy, Greek Cypriots and Greek Ossetians have experienced almost the same atrocities, atrocities and looting, uprooting and extermination.
This year, Cyprus marks 50 years, half a century since the Turkish invasion, and the memories and testimonies are as vivid as ever. I cannot help but remember the march of the Cypriot prisoners during the months of the invasion and their transfer to Asia Minor, Adana and Amaseia. There, in a secret way, the agonies, sweat and blood of Greek Cypriots and Greek Cypriots from Asia Minor and Pontos were united. This mental meeting seals our common drama and our common path. After all, the case of the Pontian Genocide reminds us to some extent of the drama of our missing persons and our heroic prisoners.
And it is precisely in this context that the House of Representatives, in its unanimous resolution of May 19, 1994, has recognized the Pontian Genocide. It is our wish and expectation that such crimes against humanity, such as genocides and ethnic cleansing, will be condemned and recognized by the whole of humanity.
And here let me mention that for the first time this year the Ministry of Education has officially informed schools about the genocide of Pontian Hellenism. From the new school year, 19 May will be established as one of the official days of honour in our schools, where through special school events the sacrifice of the victims of the genocide of the Greeks of Pontus will be commemorated.
The dedicatory column, whose unveiling will take place in a few hours, will bear witness, like other monuments in our country, to the perseverance and stubbornness of the Pontian Greeks to remain faithful to their identity more than 100 years after the drama of the Genocide and their persecution. It will condemn and condemn throughout time the events of the Pontian Genocide and, by extension, the aftermath of hatred and fanaticism, wherever and by whomever they come from. At the same time, it will give us, the Greek Cypriots, a message and an example of unyielding struggle and stability in our demands for an end to the occupation and the reunification of our homeland, on the basis of the agreed framework.
I therefore congratulate all the organizers of today's event for the general work they are doing, each from his own perspective and with his own vision. As a State, we must stand, and you can be sure that we will stand by every effort to preserve our historical memory and our national identity, every effort that has as its motto, guide and inspiration the verse, "Romania, though it has survived, flourishes and bears more".
(RM/NZ/EP)
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