Anastasiades: 'It is our duty never to forget'

The Republic of Cyprus commemorates on Thursday the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.

"A day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust. We honour and will always honour the millions of victims that died from the actions of a criminal regime. It is our duty never to forget. To remember in order to remain alive and free" Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades wrote in a message on his personal Twitter account.

As mentioned in an announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "January 27, the day of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camp, is an international day of remembrance and reflection for the millions of Jews, hundreds of Roma, Sinti and others who fell victim to Nazi barbarity. With anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial continuing to plague humanity, concerted international action is needed to effectively address them." In this context, as noted in the Ministry`s statement, "Cyprus has officially joined the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) as an observer member and is implementing relevant policies at the state level.  Moreover, the decision of the Council of Ministers yesterday to adopt the IHRA`s Statement of Work on Holocaust Denial and Distortion is indicative of the country`s determination to continue these policies."

In a separate announcement, the Ministry of Justice and Public Order stressed that "Cyprus has adopted since 2019 the operational definition of anti-Semitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and has acquired observer status in the International Alliance from 2021, joining the people of Israel and underlining the necessity of historical memory."

In a statement, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Prodromos Prodromou said that "on the basis of the traditional ties of friendship with Israel and the Jewish people, we express our active solidarity with the people of Israel and recall the support offered by Cypriots during the period 1946-49 to some 50,000 Jewish refugees, who stayed for some time in our country", adding that the Ministry in cooperation with the Embassy of Israel in Cyprus and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Teaching and Research Centre based in Jerusalem, is organising a series of commemorative and awareness-raising activities on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.