By Manal Abdel Fattah
Argentine Ambassador to Cairo Gonzalo Oriolabeta said that Francophonie is much more than a simple linguistic community, stressing that it is a bond that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries, and unites people around the world around the values of peace, democracy and mutual respect.
This came during a press conference held this evening at the residence of the French Ambassador in Cairo on the occasion of the start of the month of Francophonie, in the presence of a group of ambassadors and diplomats from Europe, Africa and Latin America, including the ambassadors of Argentina, Romania, Belgium and Zambia, and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Organization of La Francophonie.
The ambassador added that although Argentina is geographically distant from French-speaking countries, it has always maintained close links with the French language and French-speaking culture.
He stressed that his country, as an observer member of the International Organization of Francophonie, is committed to promoting linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as the values of solidarity and cooperation that lie at the heart of our society, noting that Argentina firmly believes that linguistic pluralism is an asset, and that intercultural dialogue is necessary to build a better world. And more harmonious.
While Levon Amirjayan, representative of the International Organization of Francophonie in the Middle East, said that the current year 2024 will witness the holding of the nineteenth summit of heads of state and government of the Francophonie, next October in Villeret Cauterets, France, under the slogan “Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the French Language.”
He reviewed the great development achieved by the international organization since its inception on March 20, 1970.
Ambassadors and representatives from Belgium, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, France, Greece, Guinea, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Switzerland, Chad, Tunisia, Vietnam, as well as Cyprus, Argentina, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine, and also the Agency participated in the press conference. University of Francophonie and the International Organization of the Francophonie.
It is worth noting that the French language is the fifth most spoken language in the world, and has more than 320 million speakers across the five continents, including 60 million in Africa, a number that is expected to increase in the coming years.
Francophonie Month 2024 is a special opportunity to show that Francophonie also means a set of values that includes many countries, and among these values are cultural and linguistic diversity, peace, democracy, human rights, women’s liberation, as well as education and sustainable development, which are the values that the French-speaking countries, represented in the group of ambassadors, desire. Francophones in Cairo, in their reinforcement on the occasion of these events
