Natwar Singh, India's former external affairs minister, remembers the leader who tried, unsuccessfully, to salvage the USSR, a country that was already in decline due to the policies of his predecessors.
"I extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of H.E. Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the leading statesmen of the 20th century who left an indelible mark on the course of history."
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last President of the Soviet Union and one of the most influential leaders of his time, died in Moscow aged 91. His death was announced on Tuesday by Russian news agencies.
Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, forged arms reduction deals with the United States and partnerships with Western powers to remove the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War Two and bring about the reunification of Germany.
Mikhail Gorbachev passes away: Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences at the passing of USSR’s last head, who will be buried at Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetry next to his wife Raisa, who died in 1999.