Gorbachev's message to Europe

Gorbachev visited the Parliamentary Assembly in July 1989, the first Soviet leader to do so. His trip was ground-breaking, opening up a new era of relations between East and West. His vision of a “common European home” proved prophetic for the future of the Council of Europe, which went on to welcome the newly independent countries of the former Soviet Union during the next decade. Read Gorbatchev's speech.

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