Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches 5 Democracy stirs time-honoured memories of our identity: voices that rang out in the Cortes of Cádiz; ideas and sentiments that live on in the poems of José Martí, Rubén Darío and Miguel Hernández; deep-seated aspirations echoed in popular music. We aspire to democracy in line with our particular Latin American concept of mankind and progress. We aspire to democracy and progress that maintains the essential facets of the way we are; close family ties, the life of the soul, love of beauty, a balance between man and his environment. The blind forces of the past continue to resist these ideals tooth and nail. In some of our nations, those who believe themselves to hold the absolute truth, or those who hold absolute power, still prevail. But we are winning the fight. Throughout Latin America, we are winning the fight for freedom and democracy, using our own arms, our own concepts, supported by the will and determination of our peoples. In some countries, this fight goes hand in hand with the struggle for peace. Sadly, we must accept that regimes that oppress the people and deny them their rightful aspirations for peace and freedom still persist on our continent. Democracy, long-term peace, progress and human rights are inseparable in reality. Central America is surrounded by threats and by aggression; it lives with a machete in its hand, with hunger in its belly and with hatred in its heart. We cannot react to this situation by placing yet more arms in the hands of innocent youngsters and children. We must react to this Central America with the spirit of peace, justice and democracy. Oscar Arias — Prince of Asturias Award for Ibero-American Cooperation 1988 Oscar Arias was President of the Republic of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010. — Excerpt from the speech given on the occasion of receiving the Prince of Asturias Award for Ibero-American Cooperation on 15/10/1988.