UN Russian Language Day celebrated at Slavonic University

PanARMENIAN.Net - Today, on June 5 students, university professors, authorities and journalists learned more about the important role of the Russian Language as one of the official languages at the UN during the observation of the Russian Language Day.

The goal of the event is to promote multilingualism of the UN and its cultural diversity. The event is traditionally marked in June to coincide with the birthday of Alexander Pushkin, famed Russian poet. Russian is one of the six official languages of the UN and plays a significant role in spreading the message of the UN in the world.

The event was organized jointly by the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University and the UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI) in the framework of the Plan for Cooperation between the UNDPI and the University. Over 100 students participated in the performances and presentations, promoting the Russian language.

Maria Dotsenko, the UN Department of Public Information Representative in Armenia, said: “I am happy to see so many young people in the audience today! It is important that Armenians are learning Russian, which will help them open the borders and learn more about the world around and be the citizens of the world. We exist in a multilingual world where the languages we speak, read or write, affect the way we think and act.”

Armen Darbinyan, the Rector of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University said, “I consider the knowledge of Russian language of fundamental and utmost importance in contemporary world, and especially in Armenia, where we get involved in the world of education and science through Russian language. The celebration held today at our University is not one amongst others, it is a commemoration of the significance of Russian language for each person, that we strive to foster in our students every day.”

The Ambassador of Kazakhstan and representatives of the Embassies of Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus spoke about the history of the Russian language and its use in the UN and called Armenian youth to further enhance their knowledge of the Russian language.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the six official languages of the UN. Starting from 2010, the UNDPI in New York has announced the launch of “Language Days at the UN”. UNDPI together with its partners marks Days of all official languages of the UN in Armenia throughout 2013.