Dharamshala, India — His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, expressed his condolences on the demise of Mikhail Gorbachev, the former President of the Soviet Union, and said: "He lived a meaningful life. We must keep his spirit alive by emulating the enthusiasm and determination with which he promoted freedom and worked to create a demilitarised world."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote to the Gorbachev Foundation to express his sadness at the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, the former President of the Soviet Union and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, on August 31, 2022.
“I make heartfelt prayers for my friend and offer condolences to his daughter, Irina Virganskaya and members of his family, his friends and supporters,” he wrote.
“I had enormous respect for him and his efforts to introduce greater openness and transformation, as well as for his opposition to nuclear war. He worked actively to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world," His Holiness said.
“Over the years I had the great honour to meet him on many occasions when we both took part in peace forums in different parts of the world. We have remained in close contact," he explained.
“Mikhail Gorbachev was a man of vision and an exemplary statesman. Even after his retirement, he continued to be committed to promoting peace and reconciliation in the world. His initiation of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates has allowed Nobel Peace Laureates and their respective organizations to come together regularly to apply their collective thoughts to bring about a more caring, peaceful world," he said.
“He lived a meaningful life, we should continue to keep his spirit alive by emulating the enthusiasm and determination with which he encouraged freedom and worked to create a demilitarised world,” His Holiness concluded.
