Twenty-five years on from the fall of the Berlin Wall, much has changed. But former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev says the lessons learned back then could help restore calm to today's increasingly volatile world, reports GHN based on CNN.
Speaking to CNN in Berlin, where he is attending anniversary celebrations, Gorbachev called for efforts to rebuild trust between East and West and for leaders to again work together for the common good.
"A lot depends on America, Europe, Russia -- they have to work together more productively," he said.
"We have to reestablish the cooperation and the trust that has been destroyed. We must start by dialogue -- we must meet and not just talk past each other."
Gorbachev, now 83, is often praised for his decision to avoid using force to quell uprisings in Eastern Europe, helping pave the way for Berlin Wall to fall in 1989.
While Soviet leader -- from 1985 until his resignation in 1991 -- he embarked on a process of change and increased openness to the West that became known as "perestroika." He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for helping end the Cold War.
Now, with the conflict in Ukraine plunging East-West relations to their lowest point since then, many wonder what might happen next, as a bullish Russia seems determined to forge its own course despite pressure from the West.
