Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry awarded the 'Lord Byron' prize for Philhellenism

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.

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."

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