Senate President Mircea Abrudean said on Friday, at the annual Holocaust victims' commemoration ceremony, that the Romanian state must take 'historical responsibility' for the actions of that time.

'Today, we find ourselves in a place of silence and remembrance. We are here to pay tribute to those whose lives were shattered by hatred and discrimination, by primitive and uncivilised behaviour. This year marks 85 years since the beginning of the tragic deportations of Jews from Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and Southern Bukovina to Transnistria. Looking back, history compels us to face a painful reality, because we cannot speak about the past only in abstract terms, but must fully acknowledge our responsibility. On behalf of the Romanian Senate, I express my compassion and sincere regret for the suffering inflicted on our Jewish fellow citizens during those dark years. The Romanian state must recognise and take historical responsibility for the actions of that time,' Abrudean said.

According to Abrudean, the commemoration represents a duty to the past and a commitment of faith for the present and the future.

'We cannot shift the blame onto others and look for those responsible elsewhere. Evil was perpetrated through complicity, institutionalised hatred and indifference. Today's commemoration is therefore a duty to the past and a commitment of faith for the present and the future. Remembrance is our only defence against history repeating itself. Acknowledging past mistakes gives us the moral strength to build a democratic, tolerant and European society, in which every person's dignity is sacred and antisemitism, racism and xenophobia never find a place again. Let us keep alive the memory of those who perished and honour them through our daily actions. May the memory of the victims remain blessed,' Abrudean conveyed.

The annual ceremony commemorating the victims of the Holocaust, organised by the 'Elie Wiesel' National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania, took place at the Holocaust Memorial in Bucharest.

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On 9 October 1941, the deportation of Jews from Bessarabia, Southern Bukovina and Northern Bukovina to Transnistria began. In October 1941 alone, more than 35,000 Jews, mostly children, elderly people and women, from Dorohoi, Suceava, Campulung Moldovenesc, Vatra Dornei, Radauti, Gura Humorului and other nearby localities were escorted to Transnistria.

According to the 'Elie Wiesel' Institute, the overall scale of the atrocities shows that more than 300,000 Jews of Romanian or Ukrainian origin died from fire, cold, hunger or disease, while 11,000 Roma were exterminated in Transnistria by the Romanian authorities as a result of the racial policies of the Antonescu regime.

In Romania, Government Decision No. 672 of 5 May 2004 established 9 October as the official National Holocaust Remembrance Day. Under this decision, the Romanian authorities organise events each year on 9 October dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust, including conferences, seminars, book launches, performances and school competitions. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Livia Popescu; EN - writing by: Rodica State)