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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: GORBACHEV OBIT REAX
HEAD: Global Tributes Pour in Following Death of Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
TEASER: Gorbachev who died Tuesday at the age of 91, is being remembered as a one-of-a-kind statesman and a giant who steered his country towards democracy
PUBLISHED AT: Wednesday, 08/31/2022 at 5:52 a.m.
BYLINE: Michael Brown
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SCRIPT EDITORS: Salem Solomon, Mark Young
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, Reuters,
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __
TRT: 2:55
VID APPROVED BY: Salem Solomon
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[Condolences and tributes are pouring in from around the world following Tuesday’s death of the former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev. VOA’s Michael Brown reports on some of the early reactions.]]
((NARRATION))
Mikhail Gorbachev, who died Tuesday at the age of 91, is being remembered as a one-of-a-kind statesman and a giant who steered his country toward democracy.
U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that Gorbachev was a man of remarkable vision. He said as a leader of the USSR, he worked with U.S. President Ronald Reagan to reduce both countries’ nuclear arsenals.
Gorbachev helped remove thousands of warheads that threatened Europe with destruction by signing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Reagan in 1987.
In 1989, Gorbachev ended the Soviet war in Afghanistan, begun 10 years earlier under Leonid Brezhnev.
Australia’s treasurer called Gorbachev one of the “world’s most significant leaders.”
((Jim Chalmers, Treasurer of Australia))
“The curtain has come down on one of the world’s most significant leaders. He was a pivotal figure at a defining moment. When the world saw conflict and stalemate, he saw peace and possibility. He was the epitome of courage and vision, and he was a reminder that it takes more courage to end a war than to start one and his gift looks even more remarkable in the contemporary world. There is no history of the 20th century that doesn’t have him playing a central role in it. So, the world mourns his passing today.”
((NARRATION))
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed “his deepest condolences,” according to a spokesman.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mikhail Gorbachev, describing him as “a one-of-a kind statesman who changed the course of history.”
Perhaps most significant were Gorbachev’s economic and political reforms to the Soviet system known as “perestroika” which paved the way for the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Gorbachev’s diplomatic efforts earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.
((Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister)) ((Graphics))
“I always admired the courage & integrity he showed in bringing the Cold War to a peaceful conclusion. ... In a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all.”
The ailing Gorbachev, who turned 91 a week after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, largely let his accomplishments speak for themselves, making few public comments, about the war in Ukraine or anything else.
((Michael Bown, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateAugust 31, 2022 05:57 EDT
BylineMichael Brown
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
