Romanian press coverage of Mikhail Gorbachev’s visit to Bucharest on April 14-15, 2010

Gorbachev denies 1989 revolution involvement

Nine o’clock

14.04.10 by Olivia Urban

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrived in Bucharest yesterday, on a visit occasioned by the launch of a new political daily.

Gorbachev was received by journalists Alecu Racoviceanu and Adrian Thiess, who are part of the managerial team of daily Puterea, a new daily launched yesterday evening at the Diplomats’ Club.

During his visit, the former USSR leader had scheduled several meetings with state dignitaries and former party leaders. “I will soon be 80, and time is running fast, so I decided to return to Romania one more time, “Gorbachev said upon his arrival, and also saluted all his local friends. During the day, the Russian former leader held private meetings with 22 people, former heads of state Ion Iliescu and Emil Constantinescu among them, as well as ministers and envoys. “It’s been a long time since I was here last, and I have been meaning to come sooner,” Gorbachev said. He was expected to come to Bucharest in December 2009, as a guest of the Ten for Romania gala but cancelled due to health issues. The politician was last in an official visit 20 years ago, just before the December 1989 events. Speaking exactly about the Revolution 20 years ago, the last Soviet head of state voiced his criticism against the way dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was executed in 1989. Gorbachev, who is known for his antipathy against Ceausescu and the way he conducted political affairs, said, upon coming out from a lunch event with former presidents Ion Iliescu and Emil Constantinescu, that “both the dictator and his wife shouldn’t have been executed like this. This was an unconceivable gesture. “

Mikhail Gorbachev also used the visit to voice his regret for the recent tragic events that claimed the life of Polish president Lech Kaczynski. The former Soviet leader stressed the fact that the sad events should be used to strengthen relations between Poland and Russia. “This is an unconceivable tragedy both for Russia and Poland that was somehow linked to another tragedy that we have discovered in the 1990’s, that of Katyn.”

The former head of state also said he could not find an explanation for the plane incident that claimed the lives of so many Polish officials. “It is very important to solve the mystery in this, and to do this at the highest political level, so our mutual relations with Poland keep on the right track,” Gorbachev said.

“Both our countries need to stick together and try surpassing these difficult moments, “he added. Later last night Gorbachev was expected as special guest at the Diplomatic Club reception marking the launch of a new political daily, Puterea. Speculations in media wrote the daily was bought by a yet anonymous media trust. According to Adrian Thiess, former Mayor’s campaign advisor, Democrat-Liberal and currently representative of the media trust issuing Puterea, the daily is owned by a German trust that should, for the moment remain anonymous.

Speculation in media has it that Puterea is however owned by Russian magnate Alexander Lebedev, who has recently bought the British paper The Independent.

According to Adevarul daily, this would explain the presence of Mikhail Gorbachev in Bucharest, who is known for doing business with Lebedev.

Most of the new daily’s team of editors will be made of journalists who used to work for out of print dailies Ziua, Cotidianul and Gardianul.

Nine o’clock, 14.04.2010

Gorbachev: Ceausescus ‘shouldn’t have been shot like animals’

Nine o’clock

16.04.10 by Ion Slavescu

Both he and ex president Ion Iliescu insisted that nobody asked for Moscow’s intervention to repress the anti-communist uprising.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev snubbed speculation that he and former US President George Bush plotted in 1989 to overthrow communist rule in Romania. In statements to Pro TV on Wednesday evening, Gorbachev said reports saying that he and Bush decided to oust Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu are just a myth.

“It’s not true, there was no such discussion. Don’t believe all the myths and rumours you hear,” he said. When asked what the truth is about the 1989 anti-communist revolution, Gorbachev said he believed the events were caused by “a crucial problem” that emerged at the moment and Romanians’ tough situation. “There were problems related to the connection between power and society. The society felt there were peaceful changes going on in neighbouring countries and citizens acted to defend their sovereign rights. This move was not appreciated by the rule and this is how the situation degenerated into what you know,” Gorbachev said.

He also denied allegations that Russian intelligence services were involved in the 1989 events and insisted that former Romanian President Ion Iliescu did not call Moscow for help during the revolution. Gorbachev, on a private visit to Romania to attend the launch of a new daily newspaper, earlier on Wednesday had lunch with various officials, including former presidents Iliescu and Emil Constantinescu, businessmen and ambassadors. Iliescu later in the evening said he asked Gorbachev to help break “speculation and rumours” that what happened in December 1989 was not actually a revolution and that the new rule at the time, which included Iliescu, sought Russian help. (…) “There are many people used to the old manner of thinking, people who repeat Ceausescu’s statements and biased ideas that the Romanian revolution wasn’t actually a revolution, that it wasn’t the people, but the KGB that stoked the protests. People who say we asked Russians to come and occupy Romania. These people are simply insane,” Iliescu said.

Constantinescu too said that Gorbachev is more than a statesman and historic figure, he is a “humanist.” “The vision he has now is a humanist one. (…) Even today, his humanist vision shows that if his predecessor Brezhnev’s doctrine prevented Central Europe from developing a human faced socialism, today is perhaps the moment to see capitalism with a human face,” said Constantinescu, quoted by Mediafax.

His comments came as Gorbachev said at the launch of new daily ‘Puterea’ (‘Power’) that Europe must not necessarily be built through the Europe Union and that the world is facing a leadership crisis. He added that Brack Obama’s victory shows “America needs changes too.”

New paper’s ownership remains a mystery

The new daily’s launch gathered top VIPs in a special event at the Bucharest Diplomatic club on Wednesday night. Besides Gorbachev, Iliescu and Constantinescu, the event was also attended by several leading politicians, businesspeople and journalists. The newspaper’s editorial board consists of renowned journalists such as Alecu Racoviceanu, Val Valcu, Lidia Popeanga-Mitchievici and according to Racoviceanu, the publication will focus on “bomb news.” Racoviceanu also said that he cannot reveal the identity of the newspaper’s shareholders for now, but the information will be available in three months.

He added that shareholders’ representative in Romania is Adrian Thiess, a member of the ruling Democrat Liberal who acted as a campaign coordinator to Bucharest General Mayor Sorin Oprescu in his presidential bid last year.

Parts of the media speculated that the publication might be owned by Russian ‘oligarch’ Alexander Lebedev, who has recently purchased major international publications, such as ‘The Independent.’ Daily ‘Evenimentul Zilei’ also reported yesterday that Social-Democrat chief strategist Viorel Hrebenciuc lobbies for ‘Puterea.’ More specifically, Hrebenciuc, who is close friend with Racoviceanu, asked Antena TV group head Sorin Oancea not to boycott the launch of the new publication. Hrebenciuc admitted he intervened in favour of the newspaper at Racoviceanu’s request, but insisted that he had no personal interests in the matter. But Racoviceanu denied asking the PSD leader for help, ‘Evenimentul Zilei’ reported.

Nine o’clock, 16.04.2010