August 17: President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves met the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama earlier today in the capital city of Tallinn and emphasised the importance of protecting Tibetan culture.
“The religion and culture of Tibet are truly unique, and maintaining them for future generations is one of the great humanistic duties of our time,” the president said, as quoted in an official release following the meeting.
The Dalai Lama who is currently on his third visit to the Baltic state, giving teachings and public talks, met President Ilves unofficially at the International Centre for Defence Studies.
While confirming the Estonian government’s support for One China Policy, President Ilves hinted that the Chinese authorities needed to show greater tolerance for the distinct Tibetan culture, religion, and language.
“The careful, even sympathetic protection and fostering of the cultures, beliefs and languages of minorities living within majorities is something that enriches us all,” said the president. “It makes us more open, and it makes us wiser.”
The meeting comes a day after the Chinese Embassy in Estonia distributed an open declaration asking the Estonian officials to cancel planned meetings with the Tibetan spiritual leader calling it as an interference “within China’s inner matters”.
“By arranging official meeting with the Dalai Lama, who is coming today, Estonia is actually critically violating the actual principles of international relations and its pledge not to support the independence of Tibet,” the declaration stated.
