Celebration of the Greek Language Day in Bucharest in the presence of the Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy - Meeting with the President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania

The International Day of the Greek Language was celebrated with great splendour on Monday 12/2/2024 in Bucharest, in the ceremonial hall of the Romanian Academy of Sciences, which was attended with both Greeks and Romanians - admirers of Greece and Greek culture. The event was co-organized by the Greek Embassy in Romania and the Union of Greeks in Romania, in the historic building which bears the stamp of one of the great national benefactors, that of Evangelos Zappas, whose bust is placed in a special area, as a sign of his contribution to letters and arts and to Romania.

The event was attended and addressed by the Secretary General for Greeks Abroad Mr. Ioannis Chrysoulakis, who had previously been received in a formal meeting with the President of the  Chamber of Deputies of Romania Mr. Alfred-Robert Simonis, accompanied by the Ambassador of Greece to Romania Mrs. Lili-Evangelia Grammatika and the Minister-plenipotentiary for Public Diplomacy Mr Nikolaos Vlahakis. Earlier, the  Secretary General  had also informed representatives of Greek institutions and Greek citizens residing in Romania about the new legislative regulations for the postal vote, in a special presentation that took place in the building of the Greek Embassy.

During his meeting with President of theChamber of Deputies of Romania, the very good level of Greek-Romanian bilateral relations was underlined. Mr Chrysoulakis stressed that the good performance of the Greek economy creates a favorable environment for their further development, whereas the Greek minority is the bridge of friendship between the two peoples.

The President of theChamber of Deputies made a special mention of the reform efforts of the Greek government, which, as he said, constitutes a positive example. He also thanked for Greece’s support in the effort for Romania's accession to the Schengen zone, and he added that the Russian attack against Ukraine has exposed the security problems in the wider Black Sea region.

During the event for the Greek language, which was attended by representatives of the Romanian Presidency and Government, the Ambassador of Greece, Mrs Grammatika stressed in her opening speech:
"I am particularly happy that we are celebrating the Greek Language Day in Bucharest, as it is widely known that the imprint of Hellenism in Wallachia and Moldova dates back to important periods in the history of the region and contributed to the ethnogenesis of our states, Greece and Romania. The continued presence of Greek communities in Romania is a bridge of friendship for our peoples. And I am grateful that the celebration of the Greek Language Day on February 9 has been officially established in Romania since 2018, following the actions of the parliamentary representative of the Union of Greeks in Romania, Mr. Zisopol." She concluded by saying that "the universality of the contribution of the Greek language to world culture unites us all, as a common tool for the expression of basic values such as Democracy, Dialogue and Diplomacy, the importance and defense of which is even more relevant in the current context of increasing security challenges and dangerous revisionism."

The Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy Mr Chrysoulakis in his speech underlined the following:
"...At the General Secretariat f for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we support every effort concerning the learning of Greek. We support the existing and the creation of new Departments of Classical or Modern Greek Studies in universities around the world. We support the Greek Language Centers in order to strengthen and promote Greek in Greece and abroad, to organize teaching to foreigners and expatriates, to support teachers of Greek at home and abroad and to produce material for its promotion and dissemination. We are particularly proud of the creation of the digital platform "Sta Ellinika", which is now available in five languages. We promote the Greek language by every means at our disposal. It is the duty of all of us, as Greeks, to preserve, promote, support and defend the Greek language and its proper learning. We owe it to our children, to our Diaspora and to all Hellenism."

The Presidential Adviser -Department of Culture, Cults and National Minorities - Dr. Sergiu Nistor, addressing the event on behalf of the Presidency, stressed the following, among others:
"Today, when democracies are tested by the resurgence of extremism, violence, discrimination and racial hatred, when war destroys lives and homes, undermining trust and dialogue, it becomes necessary to carefully rely on the high moral values and the exemplary human models created, preserved and transmitted by the Greek culture and the Greek language! On Greek Language Day we bring due appreciation to the Greek Community for its essential contribution to our national progress. The Greek minority in Romania is a stable partner in dialogue and a valuable institutional partner", expressing at the same time his appreciation for its commitment to the values that define its identity and for the added value that Greek expatriates bring to the meeting of cultures in Romania.

On behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, Ambassador Marios Kountourides conveyed the greetings of the Minister of Education of Cyprus, Athena Michaelides.

The event was also attended and addressed by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Bogdan Cristescu, the Undersecretary of State in the Department for Interethnic Relations of the General Secretariat of the Romanian Government,  Thomas Şindilariu, the Head of the Parliamentary Group of National Minorities of Romania, MP Varujan Pambuccian. and the President of the Union of Greeks in Romania – MP Mr. Dragos-Gabriel Zisopol, who also referred to the educational and cultural activities of the Union of Greeks in Romania.

The keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Tudor Dinu, Professor of Modern Greek Studies at the University of Bucharest, entitled: "The Hegemonic Academy of Bucharest in the era of Alexander Ypsilantis (1774 - 1782)".

The event also focused on the awarding of the students of the Greek School of Bucharest "Athena" - who excelled in an essay competition for the Greek language, as well as the awarding of all the students who excelled in the International Greek Language Olympiad 2023, organized by the Union of Greeks in Romania.

Additionally, the actress Daniela Moldovan recited poems in Greek.

The event concluded with a recital of works by the Greek composer Vassilis Delliou, by the quartet of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Ploiesti "Paul Constantinescu".