Moldovan acting foreign minister attends events commemorating 70th anniversary of liberation of German Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau camp

Chisinau, 29 January /MOLDPRES/ - Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and European Integration Minister Natalia Gherman today attended the opening of a high-level international conference commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, organised by the Foreign Ministry in partnership with the Inter-ethnic Relations Bureau and the Jewish Community, the Foreign and European Integration Ministry’s information and media communication service has reported.

This is the first large-scale conference of its type in Moldova.

Attending the event were more officials and foreign experts, including representatives of the American Hebrew Committee, Israeli Council on Foreign Relations, International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, representatives of diplomatic missions and international organisations in Chisinau.

In her speech, Minister Natalia Gherman expressed Moldova’s support for the international community's efforts to promote tolerance, as well as the importance of continuing activities to commemorate the tragedy of the Holocaust. "Proceeding from those heinous pages of the human history, but also from discriminatory events taking place in many parts of the world today, it is our duty to do our utmost to ensure the peaceful coexistence of all minorities and citizens in our country, as well as in Europe", said Natalia Gherman.

She also emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships with the civil society to promote the principles underlying respect for human rights, including tolerance, mutual respect between ethnic minorities, social cohesion and solidarity.

"Moldova's authorities actively back the topic-related reforms in the education sector, the aim of which is to form a society that will not tolerate anti-Semitic manifestations, racism, xenophobia, racial discrimination or any other forms of intolerance," said Deputy Prime Minister Natalia Gherman.

The participants of the conference highlighted the importance of maintaining the fight against anti-Semitism and the need to preserve the memory of the Holocaust on the agenda of national authorities. They also made recommendations for future action in the field.

The date of 27 January was designated as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, under a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, thus recognising the universal implications of this tragedy.