Greece on Monday, September 14, commemorated the Greeks of Asia Minor who lost their lives or were forcibly displaced from their ancestral homes, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizing the importance of preserving historical memory.
“Asia Minor Hellenism was violently uprooted from its ancestral homes, after centuries of presence, culminating tragically in the Catastrophe of Smyrna in September 1922,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement marking the anniversary.
The ministry stressed that safeguarding historical memory is a responsibility both toward those who lost their lives or were displaced and toward future generations.
“The preservation of historical memory is a duty to those who were lost or displaced, as well as to future generations,” the statement said.
Concluding its message, the Foreign Ministry emphasized that the events of the past must neither be forgotten nor distorted.
“History cannot be erased or falsified,” it stated.
