Presidential Palace
April 23, 2018
Kalimera, good morning, I’d like to begin, Mr. President, by saying thank you for those remarkable, wise and gracious remarks about the history of our Fulbright partnership and our relationship. I am deeply grateful.
Thank you also for having us out here today to mark this historic occasion. It’s truly an honor to be here surrounded by Greek and American Fulbright grantees, the current board, and members of past Fulbright boards, and other esteemed guests to celebrate today, 70 years ago, when our two countries signed the agreement creating the Fulbright Foundation here in Greece.
Since that day in 1948, more than 5,500 Greek and American citizens have received scholarships from the Fulbright Foundation in Greece to participate in scholarly and artistic exchanges in each other’s countries. Among the ranks of its alumni, the Fulbright Foundation in Greece can count a Prime Minister, a Nobel laureate, several ministers and parliamentarians, as well as numerous leading academics and notable artists. It is a truly impressive group of alumni and the members of the program here today should be proud to count themselves among its members.
The fact that the Fulbright Foundation in Greece is the oldest Fulbright Program in Europe, and the second oldest in the world, is a testament to the importance that both of our nations place on education. It is also a tribute to the binational approach taken by the Fulbright program, which promotes the interests of both our nations. For the past seven decades, the program has improved our understanding of one another and enriched our broader understanding of the world around us.
I am committed to doing all that I can to further this tradition of educational cooperation and to create new opportunities for building scholarly ties between our countries in decades to come.
Efcharisto poli. Thank you very much.
