ATHENS — German Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Roth on Friday paid homage to the thousands of members of the Jewish community in Thessaloniki who were killed by the Nazis in WWII.

Roth laid a wreath at the Holocaust Memorial in Eleftheria Square, sending the message that "the victims and survivors will never be forgotten."

Accompanied by German Consul General in Thessaloniki Sibylla Bendig, the German Deputy Foreign Minister arrived at the site at 11:00, laid a wreath, remained silent for a few minutes in front of the monument and then, in a statement, stressed the need to keep the memory alive while reiterating his country's firm support for the construction of the Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki. In fact, he expressed the hope that the construction of the project will begin in 2021.

"I stand here with our consul general and the president of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, my old friend David Saltiel. We are here today, remembering the victims of the Holocaust in Thessaloniki, the tens of thousands of men, women and children who were expelled, displaced and murdered by Nazi Germany. The victims and survivors will never be forgotten. This is my main message. They remind us of our responsibility to fight antisemitism, racism, hatred of the Roma, homophobia and all other forms of prejudice today. That is why Germany remains committed to supporting the construction of the Holocaust Museum here in Thessaloniki, which we hope will begin this year," he stated.