NNA - The Faculty of Languages at the University of St. Joseph and the Rafik Hariri Foundation, in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy celebrated the Arabic language through an event to mark the UN Arabic Language Day.



The event was attended by Dr. Mohammad Sammak, representing former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, caretaker Information Minister Walid Daouk, Head of the European Union Mission, Angelina Eichhorst as well as French Ambassador Patrice Paoli and Spanish Ambassador Milagros Hernando.



Ambassador Eichhorst delivered a word on the occasion whereby she said despite the fact that Arabic was not her mother tongue she considered it a language of adoption, since more than twenty years.



"I admit that learning Arabic is not an easy task, because it is more like a puzzle," she said, shedding light on the richness of Arabic in idioms and synonyms.



"It is something to be proud of for what it carries of values," she said, assuring that the Arabic language is a source of daily wisdom which, in her opinion, is an advantage enjoyed by few spoken languages today.



"When Arabic faced great danger, especially under the Ottoman rule, the Lebanese played a prominent role in preserving it and adhering to this land," she noted.



The Ambassador did not fail to mention in her word the great Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf "who symbolizes Arabic in his French words."



Finally, Eichhorst said she was very grateful for Arabic. "I did not choose to learn it, it chose me," she concluded, saying how deep it enriched her personal life and career.



Ambassador Paoli's remarks dwelled on how pleased he felt to talk about a language that is so dear to his heart: the Arabic language.



"I consider the languages I learned as part of me, part of my identity, as they contributed to the formation of my character. They enabled me to know the others and to go beyond language. They made me think in a different way," he said.



Paoli encouraged learning different language as they are "the tool for communication with people."



"We must open our mental horizons and go beyond fear of others to be able to communicate. I never considered language to be a barrier. I have always seen it as a means to communicate and know each other," he went on.



The Ambassador pointed at the main Lebanese advantage which is their capacity to speak multiple languages mainly Arabic, French and English.



"I never spare any effort to promote the French language in order to teach it in the best ways possible, for every Lebanese to benefit from it," he concluded.



==============D.K.