By Phurbu Thinley
Dharamsala, March 25: His Holiness the Dalai Lama will commence his three-day visit to Slovenia’s second-largest city on April 5, a week earlier than initially scheduled, organisers of the event in Maribor reportedly said Tuesday.
The Dalai Lama was earlier expected to visit Slovenia between April 12-14 with a scheduled trip to the capital Ljubljana.
According to media reports, Maribor Municipal authorities said that the visit was now brought forward by a week and that the new schedule no longer included a stop in Ljubljana.
His Holiness will be going to Slovenia at an invitation from the Maribor University, the city’s authorities and a secondary school to deliver a lecture to young people on humanitarian issues.
Among other events, His Holiness will give a public talk on Ethics for the New Millennium at Daily Life Center Maribor at the Tabor Sport Hall, according to the Tibetan leader’s official website.
Reports also said the Maribor city mayor would receive the Dalai Lama during the visit.
The Tibetan leader last visited the country in 2002, when he was met by several high-ranking Slovenian politicians. Media reports said there would be no such meetings with government officials during the forthcoming visit.
China, which somehow reviles the Dalai Lama as a “separatist” has routinely warned world leaders from meeting him. It has also regularly opposed countries that agree to a visit by the Tibetan leader, while in some cases even able to effectively enforce its influence on them through economic and diplomatic overtures.
Dalai Lama’s visit to Slovenia comes ahead of his three-day visit to Switzerland, where he will participate in the “XX Mind and Life Conference” from April 9 to 11.at the Congress Center Zurich.
During the the visit, the Nobel Peace winner will also give a public talk on “Universal Responsibility and Economics” organized by the Mind & Life Institute at Hallenstadion in Zurich.
Also during the visit, Tibetan leader will address the First European Tibetan Youth Parliament to be held in Zurich, Switzerland, also from April 9-11. The one-hour session with the Dalai Lama on the second day of the conference will be open for all European Tibetan Youth Parliamentarians. The Tibetan leader will address the conference and will respond to questions from the participants, the organisers have said.
