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.
April 24 was established as the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day so that humanity would 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.
One and a half million are estimated to be the victims of Turkish atrocities, while thousands of other Armenians were tortured and took the impoverished path of refuge. 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. Both crimes, both of which are ongoing and premeditated, which Turkey continues to deny committing and which have led, unfortunately, to attitudes and behaviour on its part that are a flagrant affront to human existence and the due respect for any concept of law.
Greeks and Armenians shared common martyrdom, and Cyprus is one of the first countries in the world to recognize and condemn the Armenian genocide, supporting every effort to restore and recognize the one and only historical truth.
Maintaining and further strengthening our historical ties with the people of Armenia, we reverently close our eyes to the memory of the victims of the genocide and demonstrate our mutual feelings of friendship and brotherhood in our solidarity towards the future.
(PM/NG/IC)
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