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The Changing of the Guards ceremony was held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens, with the Evzones of the Presidential Guard dressed in the traditional costume of the Pontic Greeks, during the official event for the Pontian Greek Genocide Memory Day. Annually on May 19 in Greece and around the world, memorial services are held to honor memory of the Pontian Greek Genocide victims. In 1994 the Hellenic Parliament recognized and condemned the genocide of more than 600 thousand Pontian Greeks. Records kept mainly by priests show a minimum 350,000 Pontian Greeks exterminated by Turkish troops and Kurdish militias during 1915-1923. Other sources including foreign missionaries mention 500,000 deaths, most through deportation and forced marches into the Anatolian desert. Greek cities (Pafra, Samsous, Kerasous, and Trapezous) endured massacres and deportations that destroyed their populations. The Pontic Genocide is one of the darkest moments in Greece’s history and has been recognized by Armenia, Greece, Cyprus, Sweden and the Artsakh Republic. Athens Greece 19 May, 2018.