The uprisings which have swept across the Middle East and North Africa were inevitable and not provoked by outside forces, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said on Monday.
From Bahrain to Yemen, from Algeria to Libya, unrest has spread across the Muslim world in recent weeks as the "Arab street" vents its anger on entrenched and authoritarian leaders.
"The world is transforming now and these processes have to be considered in the context of what is taking place in Europe," Gorbachev said at a news conference in Moscow.
The Arab world is trying to "fight itself free from the grip of poverty and savageness," he said.
"In my view, it is very important that the European countries and the United States react to the occurring events in a responsible manner," Gorbachev said.
MOSCOW, February 21 (RIA Novosti)
