Passing through Oslo after a trip to northern Norway, the man who is credited for the fall of the Iron Curtain spoke to Bellona Web during a brief interview at Fornebu airport.

– There are many speculations about the case, it is a kind of knot that is difficult to undo. I hope it will not overshadow… poison the relationship and co-operation between the two countries (Russia and Norway, editor’s note). Fortunately, the case has reached a new stage, and the court will make its decision on it, said Mikhail Gorbachev on his way to a car waiting for him at the airfield.

Confronted with the Nikitin case while he was in northern Norway a few days ago, Gorbachev replied that he believed Nikitin was "no spy".