Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani is taking part today in the ceremony dedicated to the Day of Remembrance, in memory of the victims of the foibe and in solidarity with the Istrian, Fiuman and Dalmatian Exiles and with our national community in Slovenia and Croatia. The commemoration, scheduled to take place in the Chamber of Deputies, will be held in the presence of the President of the Republic.
Seventy-nine years have passed since the signing of the Peace Treaty that sanctioned the loss of the territories of the eastern Adriatic. On 10 February, the day on which the Treaty was signed, we remember the tragedy of the Italians and of all the victims of the foibe, the post-war exodus from their lands of the Istrians, Fiumans and Dalmatians, and the more complex history of the eastern border.
“We must build a path of peace through their sacrifice. Europe has united countries that were at war with one another for decades and centuries. Europe is the positive outcome that we have built. We must ensure that this path continues also in the Balkans,” Minister Tajani stressed in a video message on the occasion of the commemoration. “This year we remember the many children killed during ethnic cleansing. And together with them we remember the children who are still victims of wars: in Gaza as in Sudan, in Ukraine and in many parts of the world where people with no responsibility whatsoever 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 profound meaning to the Day of Remembrance. In this spirit, special tribute should be paid to the athletes who, having come from Istria, Fiume and Dalmatia, represented Italy in high-level sporting competitions, achieving great results and demonstrating their love of country in the finest way.
Italian diplomatic missions and consular offices are joining the initiatives of Exiles’ Associations around the world, to make tangible the closeness of the institutions to those who were forced to leave their homes and rebuild their lives, even far from Italy.
On the occasion of the commemoration, the words “Io Ricordo” (“I Remember”) will illuminate the Palazzo della Farnesina today.
