Sikyong Penpa Tsering attended a virtual meeting with Heads of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor from the State Department on the morning of Friday, 30th July 2021.
The meeting was attended by Acting Assistant Secretary Lisa Peterson, Acting Principal Deputy Secretary Scott Busby, Special Assistant Anton Jongeneel, Stephanie Sandbeck, David Elber, and Margreet Turley from the State Department.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering attended the virtual meeting along with DIIR Secretaries Karma Choeying and Chime Tseyang, and Representative Ngodup Tsering from the Office of Tibet, Washington DC.
The hourlong meeting was a productive one where Sikyong laid out his vision and programs for bringing a resolution to the Sino-Tibet conflict and meeting the challenges faced by the Tibetan diaspora. While thanking the US Government for its generous help, Sikyong maintained that “without the help from the Government of India and United States, the Tibetan situation would not be as strong as it is now”. He urged for their continuous help in all needs and expressed hope to visit the US and meet them in person once the pandemic subsides.
State Department officials congratulated Sikyong on the election victory and expressed their willingness to work together while wishing him the best. It is speculated that a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues will be appointed in a few weeks.
Representative Ngodup Tsering thanked the DRL Leadership for their steadfast and passionate support for Tibet and said he looks forward to receiving continued support in the future.
Report filed by OOT DC