K. Sakellaropoulou in Turkey: There can be no retreat in the face of unacceptable claims and aggressive actions

“Greece is a modern European Republic that fully respects international law and good neighborly relations. Ensuring peace, security and stability in Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean is a cornerstone of our national strategy. We have never abandoned the path of diplomacy, guided by the interest of the homeland and the prosperity of the wider region. We seek cooperation with Turkey over time and invest in the harmonious coexistence and friendship of the two peoples. “No retreat, however, is possible in the face of unacceptable claims and aggressive actions,” the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, stressed in a statement to Kathimerini.

“Our country honors with emotion the hundreds of thousands of victims of the Greeks of Pontus. Recognition of the genocide is our least debt to the sacrifice of Pontic Hellenism and the heroic contribution of those who survived the economic and cultural upheaval of the Greek State in the 20th century. Preserving historical memory is not just about the past. It has a symbolic meaning for the present and works pedagogically. It consolidates the ethics of truth and responsibility. It reminds us of the power of forgiveness and the value of mutual understanding.

Ignorance of history breeds stereotypes and prejudices, introversion and divisions. The silences of the past give birth to the differences of the future. Historical knowledge and acceptance is an act of bravery and self-awareness. “It must be undertaken primarily and by example by the political order, contributing to the sober dialogue and the common course of nations,” she said in a statement.