BRUSSELS, August 31. /TASS/. Reforms of first and sole Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev opened the possibility of NATO-Russia partnership, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

"Mikhail Gorbachev’s historic reforms led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, helped end the Cold War & opened the possibility of a partnership between Russia & NATO. His vision of a better world remains an example," Stoltenberg wrote on his Twitter account.

Gorbachev, who led the Soviet Union in 1985-1991, passed away in Moscow on August 30 at the age of 91.