Mikhail Gorbachev’s Tour of Latin America

On May 4-11, 2004, on the invitation of state leaders and prominent figures from the political and business circles of Latin America, Mikhail Gorbachev visited Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

It was his second visit to the United Mexican States this year, this time shorter in duration. The former Soviet President addressed a large audience of Telmex Foundation scholars. The Foundation established by Mr. Carlos Slim Helu, Honorary Lifetime Chairman of the Latin American telecom giant, grants scholarships to some 10,000 young local students, giving them a chance to pursue higher education in some of the best universities of the country.

Mr. Gorbachev’s lecture was devoted to Peace in the 21st Century and the Role of Leadership. The architect of perestroika answered dozens of questions from the audience, and it was only a small fraction of what the students wanted to know – all the remaining question slips at the end of the meeting were handed over to the president by Mexico’s Number One television anchor Jacobo Zabludovsky, who hosted the event.

The 5th and the 6th of May President Gorbachev spent in the Republic of Ecuador. In the country’s capital Quito, during an official ceremony attended by the mayor, government ministers, the First Lady and foreign ambassadors to the country, Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Quito and the Key to the City. Later in the day President Gorbachev visited the Ecuadorian Branch of the Andean Parliament -- Deliberative Body of the Andean Community and the vehicle of integration in the region -- where he was greeted by representatives of Latin American countries and was conferred an honorary diploma.

The trip’s agenda also included an interview to a leading Latin American TV company and a lecture for the leaders of the country’s business circles. The presentation was themed “National Priorities and Priorities of Business at the Present-Day Stage”. The focal point of his lecture was social and environmental responsibility of contemporary business. Mikhail Gorbachev stressed that diminishing of the role of state – the most prevalent process seen in the last decade – had greatly damaged a number of economies, including Russia and Latin American countries. He said that it is intolerable to substitute the freedom of trade slogan for the concept of sustainable development.

On May 6-9, Mikhail Gorbachev visited the Republic of Peru. The visit attracted much attention from the political and business circles of the country. An editorial in the country’s leading newspaper El Comercio described the former Soviet President as the architect of the most momentous changes in the history of the 20th century and one of the major figures of the world history.

On his trip to Peru Mr. Gorbachev met the country’s President Alejandro Toledo. Meeting the press after his talk with Mikhail Gorbachev, the Peruvian President said that the discussion had been very valuable and productive one and that the visit by President Gorbachev would contribute to bringing the two countries closer together. The conversation with the head of state continued over the dinner held by the National Association of Mining, Oil and Energy – the main sponsor of the former Soviet leader’s visit to Peru.

Mikhail Gorbachev made a lengthy address on The World in the 21st Century: Democracy, Sustainable Development and Partnership to the Sixth International Gold Symposium. During his trip in the country, President Gorbachev received  honorary doctorate of law from the Main National University of San Marcos of Lima. He also met leaders of the media industry and leading journalists, who gave his visit a wide coverage. In his presentations and interviews Mikhail Gorbachev stressed that in the modern world, with its information and communications means, long distances between the countries should not be an obstacle to active cooperation between them. Russia and Latin American countries are in the process of transition to democracy and having many common problems, they can learn much from each other.

On May 10, Mikhail Gorbachev arrived to the Republic of Venezuela. Together with the former President of Costa Rica and 1987 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Oscar Arias, he attended the Words for Venezuela Forum, sponsored by the largest local bank Banesco. The former Soviet President’s visit drew increased interest from the public and the media due to the fact that it took place in a very complicated domestic situation Venezuela had found itself in.
 
President Gorbachev gave interviews to the country’s leading newspapers El Nacional and El Universal and TV stations and together with Oscar Arias held a press conference. The central point in Mr. Gorbachev’s address and interviews was that every problem – domestic and international alike – should be settled based on the principles of democracy. “It is you who will decide on your problems, but I want to ask you to engage in a dialogue, in building a nation-wide consensus. Both the legally elected government and the opposition should put the people’s interests in the first place and offer tangible projects contributing to poverty reduction and resolution of grave social and economic problems,” he said.