Dharamsala, Sept 1: Prime Minister of Tibet’s government in exile Samdhong Rinpoche on Monday arrived in Wiesbaden, the capital of Hasse State in Germany, as a special guest of the State Government.
Rinpoche was received by a state protocol officer at the Frankfurt airport, where the state government had made VIP arrangements for his arrival, before being escorted to the state capital Wiesbaden.
Rinpoche was invited as a special guest to attend the farewell reception for the outgoing State Premier Mr. Roland Koch, a long time friend of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and supporter of Tibetan cause.
For eleven and a half years, Mr. Koch served as the premier of Hesse State and in May this year he announced his resignation from political life. During his tenure a special relationship developed between the Hesse State and Tibet.
Over the years Mr Koch, who is also a deputy leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), has met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama a number of times.
Chancellor Merkel and former Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl attended the farewell reception.
On arrival at the open-air reception, Chancellor Angela Merkel was greeted by some 500-strong guests. Before taking her seat, Merkel walked up to the Tibetan prime minister and greeted and shook hands with him.
Rinpoche was seated in the same front row as Chancellor Merkel, former Chancellor Dr. Kohl and Mrs. Koch.
At the farewell reception the prime minister also met the incoming State Premier Mr. Volker Bouffier.
On Tuesday morning Rinpoche, accompanied by Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen and Mr. Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Representative based in Geneva, had a breakfast meeting with Mr. Roland Koch.
During the meeting, the prime minister on behalf of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people expressed gratitude to Mr. Roland Koch for his long time friendship and support.
Mr. Koch said it was an honour to have Rinpoche at his farewell reception and said he would continue to support the Tibetan issue.
Later in the day the Tibetan PM left for India, where he was scheduled to attend a long life offering ceremony for His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Wednesday and the 50th founding anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day on Thursday in Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement in south India.
