Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian participated in the 10th Bertelsmann Forum, held in Berlin, Germany, on September 22, 23.

The one and a half day conference convened on Saturday afternoon with opening remarks by Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. The audience of 100+ political leaders, which included former German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, heard perspectives on Europe's Strategic Responses, as the conference is entitled.

Following the opening session, Minister Oskanian participated in a panel on The Balkans and the Black Sea - a Litmus Test for Europe. The panel also included the presidents of Bulgaria, Romania and Azerbaijan, and the Prime Minister of Montenegro.

Throughout the discussion, Oskanian affirmed that the region's litmus test for Europe would be an effective European Neighborhood Policy, the functionality and integrity of the Black Sea region, and practical approaches to conflicts.

During a lively discussion on Kosovo, Minister Oskanian cautioned against denying peoples their right to self-determination, simply out of political expediency. If the world were guided by a fear of setting precedents, he said, half the countries in the world today would not exist. But there has to be strict criteria, he said, and the chief principle should be whether the state can claim the moral authority to rule.

The Bertelsmann Foundation is sponsored by the Bertelsmann Group, the world's largest publishing company.