Mikhail Gorbachev about Margaret Thatcher

The message posted today on the Gorbachev Fund website in connection with the death of Margaret Thatcher :

"The message of the death of Margaret Thatcher is a sad news. I knew that she was seriously ill, the last time we saw each other a few years ago. Sincerely condolences to her relatives and friends.

Thatcher was a politician whose word had great weight. In 1984, our first meeting laid the foundation for relations that were sometimes difficult, not always even, but on both sides serious and responsible. Gradually, human relations also developed, which became more and more friendly. Ultimately, we managed to achieve mutual understanding, and this was a contribution to changing the atmosphere between our country and the West and the cessation of the Cold War.

Margaret Thatcher was a big politician and a bright man. It will remain in our memory and in history. "