The Greek parliament observed a minute of silence on Thursday in honor of the Pontian Greek genocide victims.
May 19 is the date chosen by Parliament as a national memorial day for commemorating the massacre of some 353,000 Greeks of Pontus (Black Sea coast) in 1919 by Ottoman forces.
Parliament President Filippos Petsalnikos underlined that "this day reminds us of the tragic consequences of hatred and violence that come from nationalist and religious fanaticism…Historical knowledge of the past is a basic precondition in preventing such phenomena".
A message by World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) President Stefanos Tamvakis underlined that the Greeks living abroad honor the memory of the thousands of victims of the Pontian Genocide that also had "devastating consequences for those who survived".
ANA
