On June 6, UNESCO headquarters in Paris widely celebrated two significant dates: the 225th anniversary of the birth of poet Alexander Pushkin and Russian Language Day.
The celebration was attended by delegations from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Opening the event, Permanent Delegate of the Russian Federation to UNESCO Rinat Alyautdinov quoted Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, “The widespread dissemination of the Russian language, common history, extensive economic and interpersonal ties create a solid foundation for strengthening integration processes in the Eurasian space. I would like to emphasize the creation of the International Organization for the Russian Language that was established in October last year on the initiative of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the representatives of the public, fellow Russians living abroad, numerous friends of Russia who contribute to the preservation of the Russian-speaking space and the promotion of the cultural and historical heritage of our Motherland. I am convinced that the celebration of Russian Language Day dedicated to the anniversary of great poet Alexander Pushkin will develop interstate humanitarian cooperation and maintain an atmosphere of friendship and trust between peoples.”
The highlight of the festive program was a gala concert with the participation of Russian singer Elena Maximova. The audience was also treated to a performance by Tatiana Yeletskaya, a cimbalom artist from Belarus, accompanied by John Gade, a pianist and teacher at the Skryabin Conservatory at the Russian House of Science and Culture in Paris, dance ensemble Knyaz Igor, balalaika trio Le Kedroff, ballet dancer Evgeny Sergeyev, and Ekaterina Ferrari with the choir CheremetieffGrad.
The surprise for the guests was a greeting from space. It was recorded by Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Alexander Grebenkin right on board the ISS. Thus, they recalled that it was the Russian language that was the first to be heard in outer space.
On the same day, a seminar of the Saint Petersburg Higher School of Translation for linguists and translators was held at UNESCO headquarters. It was attended by more than 100 employees of the UN, UNESCO, OSCE, and other international organizations.
The Russian Language Week in Paris was timed to coincide with the Russian Language Day, which included a whole cycle of cultural events: the exhibition of the Russian Geographical Society “From Slang to Great Russian. As per Vladimir Dal”, the photo exhibition “Russian Civilization” of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs “Houses of the Peoples of Russia,” and the exhibition of the State Pushkin Museum. The guests of the venues were ambassadors and representatives of the CIS countries, Vietnam, and Mongolia. A round table “The Russian language is the basis of the integration dialogue” was also held with the participation of Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs Arina Yamkova.
Summing up the celebration, Rinat Alyautdinov noted, “The position of Russian in UNESCO is strong, and we are not giving in. Today’s Russian Language Day is a confirmation of this. In this matter, we are supported by the CIS countries and Chairperson of the Executive Council Vera El Khoury Lacoeuilhe. Russian is of crucial importance for the strong ties that exist between the Commonwealth states. It is the language of our culture, our common history, current and future development.”
Maya Koshkina