Gorbachev supports Putin`s reforms

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev said he supports the policies being pursued by President Vladimir Putin.

"I openly support Putin for the simple reason that the first stage in his tenure as president brought us stability and greater manageability, and positive processes were set in motion," Gorbachev said presenting his book "Europe-Russia Relations in the 19th-20th Centuries" in Moscow on Monday.

Under Putin, "a great deal has been done to develop a foundation for a democratic state with a socially-oriented economy," Gorbachev said.

"A socio-democratic project is being implemented in Russia," Gorbachev said.

"Putin must be supported. However, I can't see anyone who would implement the political course which he has initiated, no matter how hard I try," he said.

Interfax, June 28, 2005