BERLIN, November 8 (RIA Novosti) — Worsening in Russian-German relations amid the current geopolitical situation will bring no security to Europe, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said Saturday.
"Let us remember that without Russian-German partnership there can be no security in Europe," Gorbachev said when making a speech in Berlin at the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Gorbachev noted if the situation remained unchanged, "the current course could cause lasting damage to our [Russian-German] relations which have until now been exemplary".
"Here in Berlin during the anniversary of the fall of the [Berlin] Wall I have to note that all this [Western sanctions against Russia and current geopolitics] has also had a negative effect on the relations between Russia and Germany," Gorbachev added.
Gorbachev arrived in Germany earlier this week to attend the ceremonial meeting dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9. He will also meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and give a number of interviews.
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), 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".
