MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Mikhail Gorbachev, the first and only president of the USSR and president of the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies, on his 91st birthday. The head of the state's telegram was published on Wednesday on the Kremlin website.
"You have lived a long, fulfilling life, and you’ve rightfully earned great prestige and recognition. It is gratifying that today your multifaceted work contributes to the implementation of much-needed social, educational, charitable projects, as well as to the development of international humanitarian cooperation," Putin noted in his congratulation to Gorbachev.
He wished the 91-year-old former leader health, vigor, and all the best.
He was the last secretary general of the USSR’s Central Committee of the Communist Party (1985-1991) and the first and only president of the former Soviet Union (1990-1991). In 1990, Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.