Former US senator and Secretary of State John Kerry, was honoured with the International Award of Philhellenism 'Lord Byron', at the Academy of Athens on Wednesday.
The Lord Byron International Prize was also awarded to former French minister Jack Lang and Swiss banker Charles Pictet.
The Society for Hellenism and Philhellenism awards the prize every year to three important international figures who have either contributed a great deal to Greece or to society as a whole, inspired by the values of Hellenism.
The three winners received a silver medal, a diploma and a US$10,000 grant donated in their name to a philhellenistic institution of their choosing.
"The glory of philhellenes, older and contemporary, remains untarnished through time," the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou said.
The awards, she added, comprise "a small token of honouring those who tirelessly continue the long tradition of philhellenism."
Receiving the medals on behalf of the honorees were US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, French First Councillor Nicolas Jose Croizer, and Swiss Ambassador Olaf Andreas Kjelsen.
https://www.facebook.com/kyriakosmitsotakis/videos/954171528698814
On his part, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out that "as Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, John Kerry has worked tirelessly for international reconciliation and multilateral understanding. In this way, he represented the values of his ancestors: the values of freedom, justice and peace."
Greece also recognises the constant commitment of the United States to the idea of liberty, which was imprinted during its fight against fascism and Nazism during World War II, the Greek PM added.
Speaking online at the ceremony from Washington, John Kerry thanked the Prime Minister and stressed: "As a former Secretary of State, I have brought with me in an authentic way, during my career, the lessons learned from the Greek Revolution."
Proud to see @JohnKerry honored w/ Lord Byron prize, proof of the depth of 🇺🇸🇬🇷 friendship, from American philhellenes like John Winthrop who rallied behind the Greeks in the 1820s to modern US philhellenes who will launch the next 200 years of our strong alliance. #USGreece2021 pic.twitter.com/H2anbr49KB
— U.S. Embassy Athens (@USEmbassyAthens) April 28, 2021
*More on GCT: John Kerry attends Global Table event promoting awareness of Greek Geographical Indication (GI) products
