Yesterday, in Leh, Ladakh, President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel was received in a special audience by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and held meetings with Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Sikyong Penpa Tsering and other members of the CTA. President Pavel’s visit marked the first time a foreign head of state travelled to visit with the Dalai Lama and members of the CTA inside India. President Pavel spoke out about the strong bonds between the Tibetans and Czechs despite their distance and differences. While this is the first visit of a Czech head of state to meet in India, through the course of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s friendship with the Czech Republic, he has visited the country eleven times since his first meeting and longtime friendship with Václav Havel.
“This meeting is an important reminder of the historical friendship between the people of the Czech Republic and the people of Tibet. That President Pavel travelled to visit His Holiness the Dalai Lama shows their united commitment to human rights, self-determination, and justice for the Tibetan people and all those oppressed worldwide,” said International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) President Tencho Gyatso. “We are deeply grateful for the friendship of the people of the Czech Republic and the strong commitment of President Pavel and other Czech leaders who have stood on the side of the Tibetan people for decades.”
This historic first official meeting of a foreign head of state with Tibetan leaders in India closes out what has been a month of celebration for Tibetans and friends of Tibet worldwide. The month began with a three-day celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday starting on July 4th and concluding on his birthday on July 6th. The CTA has recognized this year as a “Year of Compassion” and ICT is participating with this effort through its “Compassion Rising World Tour”.