Signing of a Protocol of Cooperation between the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

On Tuesday, 14 January 2025, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens, the Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Kotsiras, and the Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Gerasimos Siasos, signed a Protocol of Cooperation aiming to promote Greek language, history, and culture and jointly approach the Greek diaspora, with a focus on the younger generation.

Speaking on the matter, Mr Kotsiras said: ‘Through our cooperation with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens—a leading educational Institution—and making the most of our network of diplomatic and consular posts across the globe, we are expanding our activities to promote the teaching of Greek language, history, and culture abroad and to attract young people from the Greek diaspora and Greek scientists working overseas. This initiative is part of our “Strategic Plan for Greeks Abroad”; it continues our series of actions to support Greek Studies worldwide and reach out to the younger generation and the Greek diaspora. By joining forces with academic Institutions in Greece and abroad and making effective use of modern digital tools, we actively support Greek language knowledge and draw young people and scientists from the Greek diaspora closer to Greece. Today, we are taking a crucial institutional step towards forging a collaboration that will benefit our country’s academic community, the Greek diaspora, and our nation at large’.

On his part, the Rector of NKUA, Professor Gerasimos Siasos stated that: ‘This critical collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs will promote joint actions between the Greek State and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens for the teaching of Greek language, history, and culture not only to Greeks of the diaspora but also to contemporary “philhellenes”. Additionally, it will help connect the Chairs and Centres for Greek Studies abroad with the University of Athens, thus fostering synergies in the field of Greek Studies and Humanities. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece’s oldest and biggest University, has hundreds of thousands of graduates who live and make a name for themselves in numerous foreign countries. Our collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs will support the University of Athens’ endeavours to reconnect with its graduates while strengthening its networking with Greek scientists abroad. We are particularly grateful to Mr George Gerapetritis, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs and Professor at our University’s School of Law, and Mr Giorgos Kotsiras, Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Doctor of Law at the University of Athens, for their excellent cooperation, as evidenced by the signing of the Protocol today. The University of Athens and the Greek State join forces to benefit education and connect our nation with the Greek diaspora’.

Under the terms of the Protocol of Cooperation, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens will collaborate to promote Greek language knowledge among Greeks in the diaspora and contemporary ‘philhellenes’ through Greek language, history, and culture educational programmes and actions. Interconnections between NKUA and Chairs and Centres for Greek Studies abroad will also foster synergies in the fields of Greek Studies and Humanities. Finally, the collaboration aims to strengthen relations between Greece and its scientific diaspora by creating a digital platform that will connect NKUA graduates working or active abroad, network Greek scientists outside of Greece with the NKUA academic community, and capitalize on their expertise, experience, and skills.

Also present at the occasion were, on the part of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Maira Myrogianni, Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy, and Ms Aikaterini Koika, Director General for Public Diplomacy, and, on the part of the University of Athens, Professor Sophia Papaioannou, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, International Relations and Extroversion, and Professor Aristeidis Samitas, Vice-Rector of Finance and Development.