DHARAMSHALA: A three-member European parliamentary delegation comprising of MEP Thomas Mann, MEP Csaba Sogor and MEP Ramon Tremosa visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on Tuesday, 8 May.

Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok received the delegation and offered greetings on behalf of the Tibetan Parliament.

In their brief meeting, Deputy Speaker briefed them on the evolution of Tibetan democracy in exile, proceeding of the 2 sessions of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and the advocacy of Tibet’s cause and issues among the members of parliament in various countries by the Tibetan Parliamentary delegation.

He elucidated in details how the Tibetan Parliament contributes in strengthening the democracy at grass-root level by streamlining, reinforcing the functioning of the local Tibetan assemblies in all the major Tibetan settlements and the annual Tibetan settlement visitation program as allocated among the members of the Tibetan parliament, who regularly update on the current situations inside Tibet, changing political nature in Tibet and also assess the conditions and grievances of the local Tibetan residents.

Following the meeting and a quick tour inside the parliamentary hall, Deputy Speaker hosted the delegation at Conference-Hall cum Library of the Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat, along with the members of Standing Committee of the 16th Tibetan Parliament for further meeting.

In his greetings, MEP Thomas Mann, chair of Tibet Interest Group in European Parliament, said, “I don’t know if we are one of the strongest supporters but we do meet regularly. Every month we have the opportunity to have visits by experts and people who had suffered and had been imprisoned in Tibet”.

He stated that promulgation of human rights is most important for them and they always strive to include human rights of the suppressed on their agendas every time in the European Union. He expressed his support for the genuine autonomy, Middle Way Approach as adopted by the Central Tibetan Administration and emphasized on the necessity of resuming the stalled dialogue between the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the government of China. He also stressed on the importance of environment of Tibet, stating Tibet as the major source of rivers for most of the South-Asian countries.

MEP Csaba Sogor, also a member of the Tibet Interest Group (TIG) in European Parliament, thanked the members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, saying, “we needed to come and see with our eyes to have this experience, which will give us the strength and motivation to our fight; the fight of your rights and the rights of all minorities, inside and outside EU”.

He stressed the significance of equipping the younger Tibetans with experiences in the diplomatic field by creating a conducive environment for them work as trainees and interns at various Parliamentary secretariat and offices.

MEP Ramon Tremosa, also a member of Tibet Interest Group in EP, reiterating the parallels between the struggling movement of Tibetans in exile and the Catalan people, he stated that it is interesting to see and learn how the Tibetan administration functions and how the struggle movement of peaceful resistance operates in exile.

Thereafter, all the respective parliamentarians engaged in discussion and exchanging views among themselves.

-Filed by Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat-