“The new integrity of the world, in our view, can be built only on the principles of the freedom of choice and balance of interests.”

—  Mikhail Gorbachev

Nobel Address (1991)
Context: The new integrity of the world, in our view, can be built only on the principles of the freedom of choice and balance of interests. Every State, and now also a number of existing or emerging regional interstate groups, have their own interests. They are all equal and deserve respect.
We consider it dangerously outdated when suspicions are aroused by, for instance, improved Soviet-Chinese or Soviet-German, German-French, Soviet- US or US-Indian relations, etc. In our times, good relations benefit all. Any worsening of relations anywhere is a common loss.

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Mikhail Gorbachev 65
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union 1931

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