It would be very good if the Armenian Genocide commemoration events held in Yerevan on April 24 were attended by a mayor of some Turkish city, Mayor of Maurizio Verona said at a Nazi massacres commemoration event in the Italian Stazzema city, local newspaper La Gazzetta di Viareggio reports.

The event was also attended by the Armenian Ambassador in Italy Sargis Ghazaryan, whose speech was, according to the newspaper, strong and vivid. “Memory is a civilization. I am also a descendant of Genocide survivors. That’s why, tragedy shouldn’t be responded by silence. Oblivion is our defeat,” he said.

Crimes against humanity shouldn’t be merely considered historic events; they should be told as relating to the present day, Armenia’s Ambassador said.  

Tassos Papaharalambos, representative of the Greek town of Distorno, also made a welcome speech. Mayor of the German city Moers, Christoph Fleischhauer, was standing along with the Mayor of Stazzema and Armenian ambassador.

“I’d like a mayor of some Turkish city to take part in the Armenian Genocide Centenary Commemoration Ceremony, in sign of reconciliation, as this was done by the Mayor of the German city Moers. But this didn’t happen,” Mayor of Verona said.