Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the first president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev on his 90th birthday, calling him an outstanding statesman of our time. The text of the telegram was published Tuesday on the Kremlin website.
"You rightfully belong to the galaxy of bright, extraordinary people, prominent statesmen of the present, who have had a significant impact on the course of national and world history," the head of state said in his congratulation to the jubilee.
According to Putin, his professional and life experience, energy and creativity help Gorbachev to this day actively participate in relevant public and educational work, pay attention to the implementation of international humanitarian projects.
Gorbachev held the highest state office for six years and entered history as the man who changed the country and the world. He proclaimed a new course almost immediately after his appointment as General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in 1985, then headed the USSR Supreme Soviet, proposed the establishment of the post of president and abolished the constitutional article on the leading role of the party. The Russian words "perestroika" (restructuring) and "glasnost" (openness) entered many languages of the world at the time.
Gorbachev resigned as president of the USSR on December 25, 1991, the same time the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
In international relations, the politician proclaimed "new thinking," which resulted in the resumption of the Soviet-American dialogue on nuclear disarmament, the end of the Cold War and the signing of the INF Treaty in 1985, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany.
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Based on materials TASS