Mikhail Gorbachev (left), former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, being presented with the 2008 Liberty Medal by former U.S. president George H.W. Bush, Chairman of the National Constitution Center, September 18, 2008, in Philadelphia.
Photo: AP
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Gorbachev Receives U.S. Medal of Freedom
Former U.S. president George H.W. Bush presented former president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday. Bush praised the former Soviet leader’s role in history, saying he “opened up new possibilities for the world to come together and solve its problems in the pursuit of liberty. When Eastern Europeans were living in the dark shadow of the Cold War, he provided a beacon of light. Now, almost twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we are still witnessing the positive impact his efforts have had across the globe. President Gorbachev is always looking ahead at a better future and helping all of us work to get there."
In response, Gorbachev said he was accepting the prestigious award as acknowledgment of his activities in a “transitional period for the country and the world.” The ceremony was timed to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and was broadcast live on the CBS television network and on the Internet.
The award has been handed out since 1988. Among the previous winners are Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel, Jimmy Carter, Kofi Anan, Colin Powell, Hamid Karzai, Viktor Yushchenko, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush himself. The medal is accompanied by a $100,000 prize.
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