P
rince
of
A
sturias
A
wards
1981-2014. S
peeches
11
Armstrong adds triumphs that he achieved far from competition to those he earned in sport,
when, struck down by cancer, he trod the paths of desperation, fear, pain and suffering with
extraordinary bravery. He has returned from them a greater, spiritually changed man, ready to
inspire the will to live in others who are ill, like he himself was. For this reason, he has created the
foundation that bears his name, where he works passionately, helping people to come to terms with
their illness, to face it and beat it.
The Royal Academy defines the word concord as conformity, agreement, pact, consensus,
harmony and union. All these words also apply to the commendable work of the Academy and
the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, who have received the Prince of Asturias
Award for Concord this year. It is splendid to see agreement and harmony after social confrontation
and warfare, but it is no less splendid to see how the word —which embodies the Spanish language,
spoken by 400 million people in the world— is the end point of this harmonious union.
The Spanish language is one of humanity’s great legacies; it is a productive vehicle for peaceful
understanding and an essential tool of cultural creation. The illustrious Academies represented
here today protect and stimulate it with their selfless work to spread and safeguard it in all its
rigour and purity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The consensus agreed upon as regards orthography, the incessant work in the fields of lexis
and grammar, the preparation of a new
Dictionary of the Language
and of the
Academic Dictionary
of Americanisms
—which will include the linguistic peculiarities of each country— and the
adaptation of all this work to technological change are tasks that round off this initial approach
based on dialogue, concord and peace that is concomitant of the Spanish language.
All of which brings us back to its roots, to the land where the language was born, to the lands
of Spain, and to a belief that precisely here, the Spanish language —everybody’s language— might
also be one of the most precious tools for permanent reconciliation and peace amongst us. It must
never be a point of confrontation.
The sentiments that this ceremony expresses and the tragic events of the Israeli and Palestinian
people in the Holy Land clash in our minds and remind us of the 1994 Awards Ceremony, when
Isaac Rabin and Yaser Arafat collected the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation,
which they shared.
The content of the encouraging speeches made that memorable day by both personages and
their expressive, warm demonstration of mutual understanding should live on. We are aware that
much has to be forgotten, but we are also convinced that greater fruits can be harvested through
dialogue, negotiation and generosity. We long for Jerusalem, with its age-old links to the Crown,
to be a centre for peace, coexistence and hope, an example of brotherhood and concord to all and
sundry. Like the Sephardi poet, we dream of the time when the
flame of peace shall burn brightly in the night of pain.
Before ending this speech, please allowme topublicly remind
you —with the joy and spontaneity of heartfelt gesture— of the
proximity of an anniversary of special significance to those of
us Spaniards who appreciate and are grateful for the work done
from a democratic Spain of peace and freedom.
Twenty-five years ago, His Majesty The King, with Her
Majesty The Queen at his side, began a reign which, through being innovative, modern and close
to the people, has managed to find the right place that history and democratic, plural coexistence
required of it.
Although I confess it is not easy because of the close ties that bind us, it is emotive for me to
evoke His work in this way from my dearly beloved Asturias, the source of so many emotions,
concerns and initiatives that have made a fundamental contribution to the construction of Spain. I
wish to highlight from here His commitment to a historic mission, the wisdom that drives his work
and efforts to be, as he truly is, the King of all Spaniards.
“Our country is facing up to the
complex challenges of the information
society and the new economy.”
