On January 27, by the initiative of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (Oświęcim) and the International Auschwitz Committee an event was held dedicated to the 70th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi Concentration Camps.

Delegations, high-ranking officials of international organizations and 300 survivors from different countries of the world took part in the event. Particularly, Presidents of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine, Prime Ministers of Belgium, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Queen of Sweden and Crown Prince of Denmark, Speaker of the Parliament of Finland, President of Latvia’s Saeima, Speaker of Congress of Deputies of Spain, Ministers from the USA, Great Britain, Serbia, Portugal, Lithuania, Lichtenstein, Israel, Ireland, Canada Chief of Staff Presidential Administration of Russia, Vatican’s Representative, diplomats and high-level officials from a range of states participated in the ceremonies.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Ashot Hovakimian and Ambassador of Armenia to Poland Edgar Ghazaryan participated in the event on Armenia’s behalf.

Major events, covered live by various media took place at the Death Gate of Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp, including candle-lighting ceremony.

Information: Germans constructed Auschwitz Concentration Camp (Oświęcim) as the place for imprisonment of the Poles in 1940. In 1942 it became the largest concentration camp for the Jews. On January 27, 1945, the Camp was liberated by the Red Army.

In July 1947, the museum was opened, due to the efforts of then prisoners, in the place of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. In our days, nearly 1.5 million people annually visit the museum from different corners of the world. In 1979 the place of former camp, as the only one in its kind, was inscribed on UNESCO Heritage List. January 27, the day of liberation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp, is marked as International Holocaust Remembrance Day around the globe.