MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) — Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is set to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and make a number of public appearances during his upcoming trip to Germany, Gorbachev Foundation spokesperson Pavel Palazhchenko told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
“The central event will be the ceremonial meeting dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the fall of the [Berlin] Wall on November 9. In addition, a meeting with Merkel is planned, a live joint interview with [Hans-Dietrich] Genscher,” Palazhchenko said.
According to the spokesperson, the New Policy Forum, which was created by Gorbachev himself, is to take place during the former Soviet leader’s trip to Germany.
The forum “will be devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Wall’s fall and the current situation in Europe, as well as ways to overcome it,” Palazhchenko told RIA Novosti, noting that it will be attended by “veterans of world politics, political scientists, international relations experts”. During the forum, Gorbachev will hold a speech titled “Europe 25 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall,” the spokesperson added.
Mikhail Gorbachev was the first and last president of the Soviet Union. He announced his resignation in December 1991, after 11 of the former Soviet republics had established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), effectively dismantling the USSR.
In 1990, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his "leading role in the peace process which today characterizes important parts of the international community”.
