Warsaw, 12 December: His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived yesterday at the Polish parliament amid a warm welcome from the Speaker of the Polish Senate, Mr. Bogdan Borusewicz, and members of Polish parliament.
His Holiness is in Warsaw primarily at the invitation of the Speaker of the Upper House of the Polish Parliament. After greeting the Speaker with a Tibetan silk scarf, His Holiness had an hour-long discussion with the Speaker on various Tibet related issues.
The 73 year old Nobel Peace Prize Laureate thanked the Polish leader for his invitation and expressed his gratitude for the genuine solidarity shown by the Polish people throughout his visits to the cities of Gdansk, Krakow, Wroclaw and Warsaw.
The Speaker said during his visit to China last year he brought up the issue of Tibet with the Chinese officials.
His Holiness also met with the Speaker and Vice Speakers of the Sjem, Lower House of the Parliament, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and members of the Polish Parliamentary Group for Tibet. Later His Holiness also addressed the members of parliament and the press. This meeting was hosted jointly by the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Krzysztof Lisek, and the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Group for Tibet, Mrs. Beata Bublewicz.
His Holiness thanked the members of Polish Parliamentary group for their support and urged them to convey the Tibetan people’s wishes to the Chinese government. He also said that it is important to engage in dialogue with Chinese people, especially the intellectuals and scholars.
Before leaving for India today, His Holiness will meet the Polish Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection and grant a joint audience for the small Tibetan community and representatives of various Tibet support groups in Poland.
Based on a report by OoT, London
