Russian Spoken by over 250 Million People, Language Day Celebrated in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa: The Russian language is spoken today by more than 250 million people on the planet and its relevance is confirmed by the widespread use of various multilateral structures as an official or working language, Ambassador Evgeny Terekhin said.

Speaking at the Russian Language Day celebrated at the ECA in Addis Ababa today, Russia Ambassador to Ethiopia Terekhin stated that the Russian Language Day is a date that is inextricably linked with the name of the Great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, who was born on this day.

“This holiday takes on a special meaning as we celebrate the 225th anniversary of the birth of the poet, who in Russia is deservedly called the ‘Sun of Russian poetry’.”

According to him, the Russian language is an integral part of both domestic and world history and culture.

”Russian is (also) one of the international languages, and one of 6 officials languages of UN.”

Moreover, the Russian Language Day is included in the international calendar of significant dates of the UN as
part of the program for the development of multilingualism and cultural diversity, it was learned.

For his part, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Education Chief Abdoulatlye Salifou said the joint celebration of the Russian language shows our solidarity to Russian speaking countries.

The Russian Language Day was established by the decision of UN Department Public Information in 2010, he stated, adding that the language provides significant cultural contribution globally.

The Russian Language Day event was co-organized by the Economic Commission for Africa, Embassy of the Russian Federation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

During the event, various cultural activities, including medley of Russian music, and poetry recitals by students from the Addis Ababa Russian Centre for Science and Culture (Pushkin Centre) and the Russian Embassy School in Addis Ababa.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency