Thessaloniki International Relations Service Celebrates World Greek Language Day

An event for World Greek Language Day was held on March 5 at the Rotunda in Thessaloniki by the Thessaloniki International Relations Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with Professor of Linguistics, Mr Georgios Babiniotis as the main speaker. Greetings were delivered by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ioannis-Michail Loverdos, and the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Nikos Papaioannou. The event was presented by the Director of the Thessaloniki International Relations Service (YDIS) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Katerina Tsapikidou.

World Greek Language Day, celebrated on February 9, is honored every year on the day of the death of Greek national poet, Dionysios Solomos. However, this year’s World Greek Language Day is special, as it is the first after the unanimous recognition of Greek language by UNESCO as such, last November in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, following coordinated efforts by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture, and Education.

In his address, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Loverdos emphasized that “Greeks have a duty to respond to the modern challenges of violence with our language and our culture, and to oppose them with our struggle for culture, peace, and respect for every human being.”

The Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Papaioannou, spoke about the timeless character of the Greek language and its influence on the terminology of technology, noting that “drawing on its long history, it shows us the way forward into the future.”

In his speech, Professor of Linguistics, Mr Babiniotis reviewed the historical periods and highlighted the decisive role of the Greek language in shaping European and global civilization. He also described as historic the decision of UNESCO to recognize our language as a global one. He further emphasized the three distinctive characteristics of the Greek language on which this recognition was based: its uninterrupted continuity for forty centuries, its particular structure that allows the expression of profound meanings and ideas, and its universal presence through written texts and oral traditions. He referred to the Alexandrian period and Koine Greek language, which became the lingua franca of the time, and went on to the recognition of Greek as the official language of Christianity. He also referred to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment and to the influence of Greek language on the expression of new scientific concepts, concluding with the modern era and the teaching of Greek in European schools and in Chairs of Greek Studies at universities. In closing, he stressed that, following the successful recognition of our language as a global language by UNESCO, our country should seek the reintroduction of the teaching of classical languages in European secondary education. He also underlined that investing in language is an investment in the cultivation of thought and intellect.

The event was honored by the presence of Metropolitan of Thessaloniki Philotheos, the Commander of the Supreme Military Command of Epirus and Macedonia and of the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps, General Boudliakis, representatives of the Hellenic Parliament, the Coordinator of the Prime Minister’s Office in Thessaloniki, Giannis Papageorgiou, representatives of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Region of Central Macedonia, and the former European Commissioner, Margaritis Schinas. Also in attendance were the majority of the Consuls General of the diplomatic missions based in Thessaloniki (Germany, France, Cyprus, Romania, Serbia, Albania, Georgia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria), Honorary Consuls (Armenia, Moldova, Luxembourg, Canada, Slovakia, and Estonia), the President and CEO of the International Technology Center Thess Intec, Mr Nikos Efthymiades, as well as representatives of the city’s commercial and cultural organizations.

The evening was accompanied by a vocal and instrumental ensemble from the Ano Poli Conservatory of Thessaloniki, under the direction of conductor, Mr Panagiotis Diamantis.