The message reads, in part:
“Mikhail Gorbachev was a politician and a statesman who exerted a tremendous influence on the course of world history. He headed this country at a time of complicated and dramatic change and large-scale foreign policy, economic and social challenges. He realised that reforms were necessary, and he strove to suggest his own solutions to long-standing problems.
I would like to make special mention of the large-scale humanitarian, charitable and educational activities that Mikhail Gorbachev conducted in the past few years.”