Former President Sam Nujoma has joined the international community in conveying condolences to the bereaved family of Mikhail Gorbachev, who died last week.

Gorbachev, who died aged 91, served as the last leader of the Soviet Union.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Nujoma said Gorbachev was a visionary leader and admirable statesman who will be remembered for his role in ending the Cold War and bringing peace to many nations in Africa.

“In support of our own liberation, as general secretary of the communist party of the Soviet Union’s central committee in 1985, he sustained support for our struggle in the critical period that led to the freedom and independence of Namibia in 1990,” he said.

In this regard, Nujoma said Namibia is greatly indebted to the support provided by the Soviet Union to Swapo as a liberation movement and to the anti-colonial struggle in southern Africa.

He further stated that Gorbachev will be remembered for his signature policies such as the glasnost (‘openness’) and perestroika (‘reformation’) policies he initiated in the late 1980s.

Similarly, he will also be remembered for working actively to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world.

“Even after his retirement he continued to be committed to promoting peace and reconciliation,” Nujoma said.

Gorbachev died on 30 August 2022 in Moscow, Russia.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency