Dear brothers and sisters,

On 19 May, the day of mourning for Pontian Greek Genocide, it gives me great pain to think of our forefathers’ land.

My family stems from the mountain village Santa, near Trapezounta. There are legends about the courageous, unyielding, bold people of Santa. My great-grandfathers were among them.

It’s been a century since those tragic events and today this tragedy still reigns in my thoughts. I see destroyed villages, murdered women and children, unending caravans of refugees disappearing over the horizon. I mourn for the victims of the Asia Minor Disaster.

Genetic memory enables us to feel the pain of our forefathers as they were exiled, uprooted and forced to give up their land. But it also enhances our pride for them, because they didn’t yield despite hardship and managed to maintain their national dignity, language and religion.

In the name of our forefathers, I am convinced that we have the duty to do everything in our power for the condemnation of crimes committed against the Pontian population. Our stance regarding the past determines our future. By remembering such atrocities, we protect the world from new crimes against humanity.

Ivan Savvidis