Fl-aħħar snin ta’ ħajtu, Mikhail Gorbachev kien diżappuntat u frustrat dwar kif ir-relazzjonijiet bejn ir-Russja u l-Ukrajna, u anki bejn ir-Russja u l-Ewropa, kienu sejrin mill-ħażin għall-agħar.
Tkellem dwar dan minn Moska ma’ One News Pavel Palazhchenko, li għal snin twal kien l-interpretu ewlieni ta’ Gorbachev u l-kelliem u l-id il-leminija tiegħu fil-Fondazjoni Gorbachev. Huwa esprima wkoll il-ħsieb tiegħu li dan id-diżappunt kbir seta’ affettwalu saħħtu b’tali mod li saħansitra qassarlu ħajtu.
“He believed that the conflict, the differences, should have been handled diplomatically. He always believed in diplomatic and political solutions. So it was for him something that, I think, even affected his health frankly, and maybe shortened his life.”
Palazchenko qal li dak li qed jiġri fil-Lvant tal-Ewropa sfortunatament poġġa fil-periklu dak kollu li kien kiseb Gorbachev. Minkejja dan, Gorbachev baqa’ ottimist dwar il-ġejjieni.
“He believed that Russia should be part of Europe, should be part of a global world. He believed that Russia had a lot to contribute to the world. “And, so, even though he was disappointed and frustrated, I think he was not depressed, he was not ruined, he was not destroyed by that, because he was a person who believed in the future.”
Dwar Gorbachev u Malta, Palazchenko qal li, wara li ġie hawnhekk għas-Summit mal-President Amerikan George Bush, Gorbachev baqa’ dejjem jiftakar lil pajjiżna b’għożża kbira.
“Well, definitely, each time when the word ‘Malta’ was mentioned, he remembered both the meeting with President Bush but also the preparations and the great storm that happened to us.”
Palazhchenko qal li Gorbachev dejjem kien iħobb ifakkar li l-pjanijiet kienu li hu u Bush jiltaqgħu fuq bastimenti tal-qawwiet navali tagħhom, iżda forsi kien Alla nnifsu li ried jikkoreġilhom dik id-deċiżjoni billi bagħatilhom dik il-maltempata enormi li għamlithielhom impossibbli li jitilgħu abbord dawk il-bċejjeċ tal-baħar militari. Minflok, kellhom jiltaqgħu fuq vapur tat-turisti Sovjetiku li kien qed iservi bħala residenza għad-delegazzjoni Sovjetika.
Palazchenko, li kien Malta ma’ Gorbachev waqt il-laqgħa Għolja tal-1989, qal li kien kuntent li reġa’ żar Malta tliet snin ilu f’għeluq it-30 sena minn dak l-avveniment.
“I must say that I was very happy to revisit Malta a few years ago for the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of that Summit and I’m very happy that Malta is preserving the memories of that Summit. I think that Summit really deserves those memories.”
