"Taking responsibility for the heinous acts of the past and sincere remorse are examples of the courage and responsibility of leaders who look forward to a future of peaceful coexistence and prosperity of peoples," President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou said on Tuesday, May 19, which has been established as Remembrance Day for the Genocide of Pontian Greeks.

"Today we honour the hundreds of thousands of victims among the Greeks of Pontus who were lost a century ago," she said.

At the same time, she stressed that "we must consider the enormous contribution and active participation of the rescued Greeks of Pontus to the recovery of the Greek state under extremely difficult conditions, to its economic expansion, and the flourishing of Greek education and culture in the 20th century."

Concluding, the President of the Republic pointed out that "the international community has a duty to bring to light and condemn acts of heinous barbarism, such as the systematic extermination of innocent civilians, in order not only to preserve the memory of the victims but also to prevent similar crimes against humanity in the future."