Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is participating today in the ceremony dedicated to Remembrance Day, in memory of the victims of the foibe massacres and in solidarity with the Istrian, Fiuman and Dalmatian exiles and our national community in Slovenia and Croatia. The commemoration, scheduled to take place in the Chamber of Deputies, will be attended by the President of the Republic.
Seventy-nine years have elapsed since the signing of the Peace Treaty that sanctioned the loss of the territories of the eastern Adriatic. On 10 February, the day when the Treaty was signed, we remember the tragedy of the Italians and all the victims of the foibe, the exodus of Istrians, Fiumans and Dalmatians from their lands after the Second World War and the more complex events on the eastern border.
“We must build a path to peace through their sacrifice. Europe has united countries that were at war with each other for decades and centuries. Europe is the positive outcome we have built. We need to ensure that this path continues in the Balkans,” Minister Tajani emphasised in a video message on the occasion of the anniversary. “This year, we remember the many children killed during ethnic cleansing. Together with them, we remember the children who are still victims of war in Gaza, as in Sudan, Ukraine and many other regions of the world where innocent people are being killed,” Tajani continued in his video message.
This year’s coincidence with the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, a symbol of peace and coexistence, gives particular value and deep meaning to Remembrance Day. Bearing this in mind, special tribute needs to be paid to the athletes who, having left Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia, represented Italy in high-level sporting competitions, achieving great results and demonstrating their love for their country in the best possible way.
Italian diplomatic missions and consular offices are joining with associations of exiles around the world to demonstrate the institutions’ solidarity with those who were forced to leave their homes and rebuild their lives far from Italy.
To mark the occasion, the words Io Ricordo (I Remember) will be illuminated on the Foreign Ministry’s building today.
