MOSCOW. June 26 (Interfax) - Mikhail Gorbachev, first president of the USSR, said the death of Yevgeny Primakov is a major loss to all of society.
"An outstanding statesman of our country has died. His life was filled with a lot of work and active participation in the solution of vital state issues. His demise is a big loss to our entire society. Extend my sincere condolences to Yevgeny Maximovich's family, relatives and loved ones, to all his friends and colleagues," a report posted on the Gorbachev Foundation website says.
Gorbachev said he had worked with Primakov and was his friend for many years. "In the years of perestroika, I offered him to get directly involved in the reform of our state system. He became chairman of the Union Council of the new, democratically elected Supreme Council," Gorbachev said.
Gorbachev said Primakov's involvement in the creation of a democratic parliament was active and effective.
"In those years, he manifested qualities that I always valued in him: a balance in judgments and decisions and the ability to work with people. That was when Yevgeny Maximovich became known nationwide and gained broad support and respect," Gorbachev said.
Gorbachev emphasized that Primakov headed up the Russian government in the years of the development of the new Russian state, when the country was in a difficult situation. Gorbachev believes Primakov's role in overcoming the crisis was outstanding and will go down in history.
"In the years of perestroika and beyond it, Yevgeny Maximovich did a lot of successful work in the sphere of foreign policy, protecting the interests of the country and manifesting resolve and flexibility. In the course of all those years, he stayed interested in scientific work and in the study of the fundamental processes taking place in the world," he said.
Primakov was a highly cultured person, an outstanding personality, was thoughtful to society and every person, friendly and attentive to his friends and colleagues, Gorbachev said.
"We are deeply appreciative to him for everything that he did. His work will go down in history and the image of this wonderful person will stay in people's memory," Gorbachev said.