Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday, April 24 has sent a message on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide centennial, stating that recognition of this tragedy is an important and necessary signal to get rid of hatred, intolerance, racism and xenophobia, Panorama.am reports.

"One century after the tragic events of 1915, I bring a pious homage to the victims of the Armenian people, who resisted over decades the history's ups and downs and the hardships from the beginning of the last century. Hundreds of thousands of innocent souls have perished then in a terrible crime that overshadowed humanity and compels us today to recognition and reconciliation," Iohannis said in his message, according to the Presidential Administration.

As the president noted, the commemoration and the awareness of the drama the Armenian people has passed through are today mandatory approaches for the world to learn the lesson of the past.

"Respect for the victims forces us to turn our mind to the disappeared and pray for them in silence. May the memory of the victims stay eternally in our hearts," Iohannis said.