Cradles of civilizations eye full-spectrum interactions

The yr 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Greece and China, two nations that characterize two of the most historical civilizations in the history of humanity. It would not be an exaggeration to assert that Greece and China are thought of the cradle of Western and Eastern civilizations, respectively.

Our two nations around the world acquire good pleasure in their rich heritage and for that purpose we share a deep regard for just about every other’s cultural traditions. Linguistic continuity, cultural traditions that are mostly preserved unchanged to this day, and a deep curiosity in social, political and philosophical difficulties are some of our frequent dominant properties. At the identical time Greece and China have embarked on an introduction of new concepts, new technologies and science all the whilst trying to preserve their very long cultural traditions.

Culture is a important element that connects our international locations, a cornerstone of our relations that forges robust bonds involving our nations. 2021 was declared “Greece-China 12 months of Lifestyle and Tourism” expanded a short while ago into 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This “Year,” the very first of its sort, provides the exclusive option to equally nations to uncover and realize each individual other’s cultural heritage and contemporary creative generation by way of simultaneous occasions linking society with tourism.

In 2021 a series of on the internet gatherings, this sort of as scientific boards, film festivals, picture exhibitions and Internet teleconferences, ended up arranged as the pandemic hindered our bodily participation. At present, we seriously hope that in 2022 we will be ready to defeat these obstacles and manage new gatherings with the contribution of our General public Diplomacy Workplaces in the Greek Missions in China.

Greece and China are also taking part in the Historical Civilizations Discussion board, an initiative launched in Greece in latest several years aiming to use the knowledge and legacy of wonderful ancient civilizations to deal with emerging present day troubles this kind of as the defense of cultural heritage, the repatriation of illegally obtained cultural treasures battling the illicit trafficking of cultural house, climate alter and its effects on monuments, and lastly the marketing of sustainable cultural growth.

Greece has participated in the Belt and Highway Forum two times in the last 5 many years in Beijing. A memorandum of comprehending signed in August 2018 opened the prospect of advancing our bilateral relations in spots this kind of as tradition, training, media. Greece and China in the final 20 years have signed a sequence of cooperation agreements regarding, among other folks, academic and cultural exchanges, cooperation amongst the two countries’ countrywide libraries, and cooperation about the translation and publication of classical and modern-day literary will work.

Greece and China have developed substantial instructional ties, concerning not only the teaching of Greek and Chinese languages in the two countries, but also outstanding cooperation in the domain of the tutorial and investigate communities of both equally international locations.

The Chinese language has been taught in Greece due to the fact 1991 in the Foreign Language Instructing Heart (Didaskaleio) of the Nationwide and Kapodistrian College of Athens, though the Confucius Institute – getting set up partnership agreements with the Financial University of Athens (2009), and later with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the University of Thessaly – is presenting Chinese language and tradition classes in Greece. Academic as effectively as cultural exchanges are also strengthened by means of twinning involving Greek and Chinese metropolitan areas.

In the academic sector, Greek universities have been carefully cooperating with Chinese universities in the final 10 years, whilst a cooperation system concerning the Greek Ministry of Training and the China Instruction Affiliation for Global Trade (CEAIE) released in Oct 2021 aims to initiate synergies these as the creation of joint examine packages, the exchange of college students, the preparation of joint academic and research systems and the understanding of both equally languages in each nations. As Greece is evolving into an instructional place as a result of several synergies with foreign universities, cooperation between Greek and Chinese academic establishments has substantially to offer not only to our nations around the world but also to the international educational neighborhood.

(The creator is Secretary General for Greeks Overseas and General public Diplomacy.)