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