Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to remember the deaths of over 350,000 Greeks between 1914 and 1922. I also remember the 500,000 individuals who were made refugees during this time.
This coming Monday, May 19, the international community will mark the 94th anniversary of the Pontian genocide.
During World War I and in its aftermath, the Pontian Greek population of the Ottoman Empire faced persecution, massacres, expulsions and death marches from the historic region of Pontus, the southeastern Black Sea province of the Ottoman Empire, by the Young Turk administration.
I am a grandchild and a survivor of Pontian refugees. My grandparents were forced to flee from Pontus.
On December 15, 2007, the International Association of Genocide Scholars recognized these events as genocide. I remember all those who were victims of the Pontian genocide.
I remember those who have gone before, and those who suffered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. Long live their memories.