Dharamshala — A group of Members of the European Parliament from Austria and Germany visited the Central Tibetan Administration as part of an educational tour to learn more about the history of Tibet, the human rights situation in Tibet and the situation of the CTA and Tibetans in exile. They expressed their support for the Tibetan cause and pledged to raise the Tibet issue in their respective Parliaments.
The delegation of seven members of the European Parliament from Austria and Germany, on a two-day visit to Dharamshala, held a press conference with the Tibetan media on October 6, 2023 to express their solidarity with the Tibetan people and their support for the Tibetan cause.
The delegation met the Sikyong ( President), the Kalons ( Ministers) of the Kashag ( Cabinet) of the CTA, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile and other high officials of the CTA. They visited the offices of Tibetan NGOs and engaged with Tibetan activists. They also visited the library of Tibetan books and archives and Upper Tibetan Village School (TCV) in Dharamshala. The delegations said they had learned a lot about Tibet and were delighted to have been able to engage, see and learn about Tibetan history and culture for themselves.
The delegation's visit to Dharamshala is part of an educational tour of South Asia organised by the Fredrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) in partnership with the Central Tibetan Administration. The delegates included Yannick Shetty (Member of the Australian Parliament); Dolores Bakos (Member of the Legislative Assembly, Vienna, Austria); Dirk Bergner (Deputy Speaker of the State Parliament, Thuringia, Germany); Regina Bergner (Head of Department, Jena Municipal Corporation, Germany); Torsten Herbst (Parliamentary leader of the FDP Bundestag Group, Germany); Sandra Weeser (Member of German Parliament); Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus (Member of German Parliament). They all expressed their inspiration at seeing with their own eyes the system of democracy adopted and implemented by the Tibetan Administration in exile, while expressing feelings of hope and faith in Tibet's struggle for freedom and justice.
At the press conference, MEP Torsten Herbst said: "We have seen that a democratic institution (the Central Tibetan Administration), which contrast to the Chinese government, is an authoritarian government and we want to express our support for the Tibetan cause".
MEP Dolores Bakos said: "We are here to learn about Tibetan history, culture and education, to gain knowledge about Tibet and to learn about the suffering of Tibetans inside and outside Tibet. Thanks to this educational tour, we have gained so much knowledge about Tibet that we can take back home with us.
Asked whether the Tibetan issue would be raised in the European Parliament, one member replied: "The human rights issues in Tibet are mainly concerns; Tibet is an example to highlight the danger that coming from China, there should be more debate in European politics".
Asked what message they wanted to send, one of the MEPs replied: "Believe in your fight for democracy and freedom. It takes time and passion, even if it's not easy, but what you are doing is a beacon of hope for peace, democracy and freedom."
In conclusion, they declared that they would discuss issues relating to Tibet in their respective parliaments.
