Prague, Sept 14 (CTK) – Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, 85, will not come for his planned visit to Prague over health problems, his doctors decided yesterday, organisers of the international conference he was to attend have told journalists.
However, the event itself will not be cancelled and Gorbachev’s speech will be released as a video recording.
“This morning, we received the news that Gorbachev felt sick at night. His doctors were called in who decided that he must not leave Moscow for some weeks,” organiser Milan Syrucek has told CTK.
“The conference will be certainly held. Some 300 participants are to attend it,” he added.
Syrucek did not elaborate on Gorbachev’s health troubles.
Gorbachev was scheduled to spend three days in Prague. He was to meet President Milos Zeman.
At the conference he was to speak about the present threats to European security and the challenges questioning the peaceful European development.
On Friday, Gorbachev was scheduled to attend the presentation of Syrucek’s book “Mikhail Gorbachev – Did he save Prague from bloodshed?”
“He has offered to send his speech from a video recording. He heartily wishes that the conference be held even without his participation,” Syrucek said.
“Along with this message, we are preparing a direct link to him during the conference,” he added.
The September 16-18 conference will focus on security developments after the Cold War, new problems and ways to solve them, and aspects of European security in relation to Russia.
It is to be attended by former British foreign secretary David Owen, former Czech foreign minister Jan Kavan and Hynek Kmonicek, head of the Presidential Office’s foreign section.
