Holocaust victims remembered in Turkey

By Muhammed Ikbal Arslan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s Ankara University on Thursday organized an event to remember the victims of Holocaust.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Faruk Kaymakci, Rector of Ankara University Prof. Erkan Ibis, the chief Rabbi of Turkey Ishak Haleva, President of the Jewish community in Turkey Ishak Ibrahimzadeh, as well as ambassadors and academicians attended the event.

"Nazi regime committed the Holocaust by mass murders of Romans, homosexuals and the disabled persons in addition to millions of Jews," Kaymakci said in his speech after commemorating the victims of the tragedy.

He recalled that Turkey was one of the countries that presented the UN resolution to recognize Jan. 27 as the Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Kaymakci also said that Holocaust is the most remarkable example within living memory to understand the consequences of discrimination and intolerance toward religious and ethnic diversity. He said such actions are a crime under Turkish law.

Rector Ibis called Holocaust an “unprecedented inhumanity” and explained his university's efforts to fight any sort of terrorism, violence and discrimination.

Ibrahimzadeh, for his part, called for awareness and love to resolve issues involving discrimination.

Jan. 27 was declared as “The International Holocaust Remembrance Day” by a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, which Turkey co-sponsored.