MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
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PRESS RELEASE
26-09-2005

Minister Oskanian Receives the “Grosso d’Oro Veneziano” Award in Veneto,
Italy

The Grosso d’Oro Veneziano award was bestowed on Armenia?s Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian by the Masi Foundation of Italy’s Veneto Region, on
September 24. The prize is a special award on an international level for
individuals who have contributed to the cause of peace and brotherhood among
nations. It was conferred on Minister Oskanian for his contribution to
Armenia?s integration into European structures, to the deepening of
Armenia-Italy ties, and for his active involvement in peace talks.

In the 8th century St. George Cathedral in Verona, before several hundred
Italian intellectuals, artists and businessmen, the Masi Foundation held its
25th awards ceremony.

After receiving the award – a sculpture in silver, decorated with grapes as
well as designs from ancient khachkars, and topped with a gold medal- the
Minister spoke about Armenia’s determination to pursue the path of European
integration. He also spoke about traditional Armenian-Italian ties and the
upcoming Italian-Armenian Days in Yerevan.

During the ceremony, other awards were also given to those who protect and
promote Veneto’s historic legacy and cultural values. The Masi Foundation,
in line with its guiding philosophy and with an original policy for
recognizing subtle changes in the world, awarded prizes for excellence in
education, medicine, theater, fashion, as well as in the area of
vinoculture. The Masi Foundation was created and is run by the descendants
of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri.

The only other recipient of the Grosso d’Oro Veneziano has been Slovenia’s
former President, Milan Kucan.

Below is the text of the Minister’s remarks:

Honorable members of the Board of Directors of the Fondazione Masi,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am privileged to receive this prestigious award, il Grosso d’Oro
Veneziano. This is a special day for me. And this is, of course, a special
place, a special foundation and a special family with a glorious history of
650 years stretching all the way back to one of the greatest poets of all
times, Dante Alighieri.

Dante’s descendants valued their heritage and helped pass on his legacy.
This legacy clearly manifests itself in modern Italy and the Region of
Veneto.

Italy and Veneto also share a legacy with Armenians. There is much symbolism
in the fact that Armenia’s coming back to Europe is being noted and
celebrated here, in Italy.

Armenian-Italian connections are based on rich and ancient traditions. It
was in Italy in 1512, that Hakob Meghapart published the first book ever in
Armenian. The Urbatagirk (or Book of Days) was followed in 1513 with the
first published Armenian calendar. The renowned Briton, Lord Byron, referred
to the Venetian island of San Lazaro as a fortress of Armenian independence,
since the Armenian monks of the Order of Mekhitar had found refuge there in
the early 1700s. For the last three centuries, that haven has turned into a
scientific and cultural locus.

Today, if you ask the Mekhitarist fathers whether they are Venetian, they
will say yes. If you ask them whether they are Armenian, they will say yes.
One can say that they were pioneers in establishing a common European
identity, about which we speak proudly, yet with some apprehension.

If it used to be religion that bound Europe together a millennium ago, it
certainly isn’t any longer. Nor is it the economic advancement that was
specific to Europe two centuries ago. It isn?t ideology either, which was
both adhesive and encumbrance for decades in the last century.

Europe is more than its common history, more than geography, more than a
club for members. All those who’ve said Europe is an idea are right. It is
the idea of a Europe that is the common, if unattainable ideal.

Even those living outside this space have imagined and desired a Europe
which can be addressed collectively, a partner which can be enlisted
conveniently, a Europe to which they yearn to belong.

Armenia is Europe. This is a fact, it’s not a response to a question.

The collapse of the USSR brought us to a point of economic and political
crisis. I remember our discussions in Armenia, before our entry into the
Council of Europe. There were many questions about the choice of path to
take.

Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who
in a period
of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. I’m happy to say I won’t be going
there
because I was among the loudest advocates of the European path.

The choice was clear. Armenians believe in the values of the European
enlightenment, of European civilization. The moral, ethical and existential
choices that bring individuals and societies to select democracy over other
forms of government, rule of law over rule of man, human rights over
selective rights – those choices have been made.

A people who have lived under subjugation, have seen ethnic cleansing and
genocide even before the terms existed, have lived as a minority without
rights, now belong to a world where warring neighbors have found that they
can accept new borders based on realities on the ground and move on.
Europe?s nation-states have found that they can transcend borders, without
diminishing or ignoring cultural spaces, without expecting historical
identities to vanish.

The European Neighborhood Policy brings Armenia back home since Armenia’s
foreign policy priority is the gradual integration of Armenia into European
institutions.

In his presentation, my good friend, Senator Demetro Volcic described in
ponderous detail my country’s foreign policy priorities. I must admit that
he is well aware of them not as a common bystander, but as a caring and
thoughtful professional, who has proven to be instrumental in helping to
integrate Armenia into the modern European architecture.

The double digit GDP growth, which Armenia achieved each of the last five
years, the successful admission into the WTO, the spirit of the free
enterprise, the changing political system and society are promising signs
that we are on the right track. However, it is too early to say that the
European standard is round the corner. It is not as close yet as Europe
itself, as Venice, as Verona, as the shared cultural and religious values of
the past and present.

To highlight and share those values, we will be launching a two-month long
Days of Italy in Armenia, beginning in early October. This project has
received the blessing and patronage of President Ciampi, President Kocharian
and Governor Galan. The centerpiece of these important events will be an
exhibition of the riches from the Isla Armena.

In light of all this, then, the Fondazione Masi has, in bestowing upon me
this award, put a great stamp of approval on Armenia, its foreign policy
directions, its European orientation, its future.

I thank you.