ATHENS — "Today, we honour the memory of the hundreds of thousands of victims of Pontian Hellenism who were exterminated in an inhuman and heinous way a century ago," President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou said on Wednesday in a statement marking Pontian Greek Genocide Remembrance Day.

"At the same time, we praise the heroic life of the Greeks of Pontus who were saved and contributed the utmost to the recovery and progress of our country, to the economic development and the richness of our cultural identity," she noted.

Sakellaropoulou also underlined: "The recognition of the Genocide was a clear obligation and the minimum owed by our country. The preservation of historical memory does not exhaust its dynamic in the past. It works symbolically and as a deterrent for the future. Today is a vivid and enduring reminder for the entire international community of the great importance that the ethics of responsibility and forgiveness have for the peaceful coexistence of peoples. The unequivocal condemnation of crimes against humanity is an act of deep political and human value."