Turkish Capital Hosts Holocaust Ceremony for First Time

W460

Turkey will host a ceremony to commemorate Holocaust victims in its capital for the first time in a sign of solidarity with the Jewish community, an official said. 

"The ceremony will take place in Ankara for the first time, with the presence of parliament speaker," the official told Agence France Presse.

Holocaust International Remembrance Day was first marked in Turkey in 2011 and since then ceremonies had been held in Istanbul.

But this year, the government has shifted the venue to Ankara and has made its presence visible at international platforms. 

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu traveled to Auschwitz to participate in an international ceremony, and the speaker of parliament Cemil Cicek attended a Holocaust forum in the Czech capital Prague. 

"It is a duty of humanity to remember the Holocaust, one of the biggest crimes in history, and to teach future generations about it so as to ensure this kind of offence will never be experienced again," the prime minister's office said in a statement. 

"Our country is taking all necessary steps to prevent such crimes from recurring."

The ceremony will be at the private Bilkent University and will also be attended by members of the Jewish community. 

A keen sympathizer of the Palestinian cause, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has often blasted Israel during attacks on Gaza, declaring in July that the Jewish state had "surpassed Hitler in barbarism".

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