In his congratulatory message, the President of Russia noted Nelson Mandela’s well-deserved prestige at home and abroad, as well as his political and public work over the course of many years. “Your name is inextricably tied to an entire era in modern African history, marked by the creation of a new, democratic Republic of South Africa,” the President of Russia’s telegram stressed.
Vladimir Putin also gave a high assessment to Nelson Mandela’s role in developing friendly Russian-South African relations, which have now reached the level of a strategic partnership.