The former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, called Mikhail Gorbachev "an outstanding world figure." This was stated in Merkel's statement on the occasion of the death of the first and only president of the USSR. It was published on the website of the former head of the German government.
"Gorbachev wrote world history; he showed by his example how an individual statesman can change the world for the better," Merkel said.She noted that she learned about Gorbachev's death "with great sadness." "Mikhail Gorbachev radically changed my life; I will never forget it," said the former chancellor.
Merkel noted that Gorbachev did not hinder the free will of the people of the GDR. "Moreover, he allowed united Germany to become a member of NATO," she added.
