Mikhail Gorbachev congratulated former secretary of state George Shultz in his 100th birthday.

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Dear George,

Congratulations on your extraordinary Jubilee! It is an amazing date!

Your life has been a long road, and I might say, part of this road we travelled together. Today, I look back on those years. They were not easy but they were very important for the world. We met many times and had many hours of discussions, looking for solutions of very complex issues. As we met and talked in Moscow and Washington, and then at Stanford and again in Moscow, we also discussed the future, the world in which new generations will live, and we found common ground.

The years when we worked together became a turning point in ending the Cold War and the nuclear arms race, in the emergence of trust in relations between our nations. Today, the scale of what was done then looks particularly impressive. I think we can be proud of it.

I also want to recognize your work during the subsequent years. I believe it was the continuation of your efforts as secretary of state. You have been making a compelling case for a world without nuclear weapons. This goal brought the two of us, and Ronald Reagan and me, closer together, even though we saw the path to it differently. The future will see this goal realized.

I wish you, dear friend, to continue to be a model of remarkable longevity and intellectual activity to all of us. I wish all the best to all your loved ones.

Sincerely and with warmest regards,

Mikhail Gorbachev