Gordon Brown welcomes Mikhail Gorbachev

28 January 2008

The Prime Minister welcomed former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to Downing Street today.

The two men discussed a range of issues including nuclear non-proliferation, reform of international institutions and UK Russia relations.

Mr Gorbachev played a key role in the processes known as Glasnost and Perestroika, the political and economic liberalisation of the former Soviet Union and the thaw in relations with the West that occurred towards the end of the 1980s

Mr Gorbachev served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991.