The 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, as well as with our national community in Slovenia and Croatia. The commemoration, scheduled to take place at 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, which sanctioned the loss of the territories of the eastern Adriatic. On 10 February, the day on which the Treaty was signed, we commemorate 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 each other for decades and for centuries. Europe is the positive outcome that we have built. We must ensure that this path continues also in the Balkans,” Minister Tajani underlined in a video message on the occasion of the anniversary. “This year we remember the many children who were 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 other 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, lends the Day of Remembrance particular value and profound significance. In this spirit, special tribute should 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 of the homeland in the finest possible way.
Italian diplomatic missions and consular offices are joining the initiatives of the Associations of Exiles around the world, in order 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 Day of Remembrance, the words “Io Ricordo” (“I Remember”) will illuminate the Farnesina Palace today.