Mikhail Gorbachev’s condolences over the death of Eduard Shevardnadze

I express my deepest condolences over the death of Eduard Shevardnadze. We were friends and I feel so much sorrow now that he has gone.

He was an extraordinary, talented person, capable of quickly building a rapport with different people – both with young people and older generations. He was a vibrant character, with a Georgian temperament.

Shevardnadze was a major political figure. He greatly contributed to Perestroika’s foreign policy and was a real champion of new thinking in global affairs.

His appointment to the office of Foreign Minister came as a surprise to many but he proved to be very good at his job and was justly praised by diplomats – both by his colleagues and foreign counterparts. He made a great contribution to the reunification of Germany and to European affairs in general, to normalization of our relations with China and a dialogue with the United States. And I also want to emphasize his role in ending the nuclear arms race.

I am confident that fond memories of this man and his great deeds will stay in people’s hearts.

Milhail Gorbachev
July 7, 2014