The World War II 'Foibe' massacres of up to 15,000 Italians when Yugoslav forces move into the Istria and Dalmatia regions between 1943 and 1945 must never be forgotten, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday.
"It is very important to attend the commemorations to remember what the Italians suffered, who were killed just because they were Italians," Tajani told Corriere daily in an interview on Foibe Remembrance Day.
"Europe must serve to erase those errors, but the memory remains," he said.
"Looking to the future means building it without forgetting," Tajani underlined.
"This means supporting choices such as those of the mayors of Gorizia and Nova Gorica who together something that represents cohesion, not division: this unified city will be the capital of culture, together with Italy and Slovenia," Tajani noted.
'Foibe' is the Italian word for the deep caves into which Yugoslav communists threw the Italians - some still alive. The Istria and Dalmatia, regions had been part of Italy since 1920s.
