Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

4 O viedo | C ampoamor T heatre | 18 th O ctober 1990 The new, united Europe that we aspire to will be the culmination of European history.The liberation of the nations of Europe must necessarily culminate in self-awareness and self-knowledge, which inevitably leads on to the ideal of freedom in its purest form. This concept is the very essence of the European spirit. The finest minds across Europe conceived and formulated this idea as being central to the identity of European nations. Last year, its enormous capacity to bring peace and unity was demonstrated by the historic changes that have significantly altered the political boundaries in the East of our continent, and thereby in Europe as a whole. The terms “East andWest” are no longer an ideological antinomy: they have recovered their original geographical meaning. Neighbourliness, cohesion and cooperation: these are the benchmarks of the new Europe. They will serve to build a united Europe on the foundations of freedom. The spirit of the European Community was inspired from the outset by these three guidelines. Our German community is a blueprint for the future global Europe. Hans Dietrich Genscher — Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation 1990 Hans Dietrich Genscher was Minister for Foreign Affairs of the German Federal Republic between 1974 and 1992. — Excerpt from the speech given on the occasion of receiving the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation on 18/10/1990.