“Russian as a Language of Love. On the occasion of Russian Language Day”

Ambassador Borodavkin,
Ms. Sherbakova,
Excellencies,
Дамы и Господа [Ladies and gentlemen],
Дорогие друзья русского языка [Dear friends of the Russian language]:

It is my pleasure to welcome you to today’s event marking the United Nations Russian Language Day. My sincere thanks to Ambassador Borodavkin and the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation for organizing, together with Russian Cultural Seasons, today’s celebration. We will be witnessing a rich sample of Russian art and culture. The performance of Russian romances will feature Ms. Lyubov’ Rudenko and Mr. Alexey Fateev, two actors of the world famous Mayakovsky Theatre. We will also enjoy an exhibition of paintings by Tatiana Godovalnikova and etchings by Vitaly Gubarev.

Thanks to an initiative by UNESCO, UN Language Days are being marked annually since 2010. They celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity and promote the equal use of all six official languages of the Organization.

As every year, Russian Language Day takes place on 6 June, the birthday of Aleksandr Pushkin, one of the greatest Russian poets. His rich vocabulary and highly sensitive style are the foundation for modern Russian literature. There have been many attempts to translate Pushkin’s love poems, but, as I am assured by Russian speakers, they all fall short of the original.

On this special day, I salute the UN staff promoting the use of the Russian language at the UN: the interpreters and translators, language teachers, those managing the website and the tour guides. I also greet the Russian speaking staff members here at the Palais des Nations and across Geneva.

Thank you again, Ambassador Borodavkin and the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation, for continuously enriching our cultural programme.

Now, let us enjoy the performance and exhibition together.

I thank you and спасибо.