The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again rejected the request of the Buddhists of Kalmykia to arrange the visit of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Earlier, as part of the preparation to the 15th anniversary of the Central Khurul of Kalmykia, the Kalmyk Buddhist Association sent a letter to the Russian Foreign Ministry with a request to assist in organizing the visit of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to Kalmykia. The website of the Central Khural of Kalmykia reports that the Foreign Ministry stressed that they are sympathetic to the idea of facilitating the visit of the Buddhist leader to Russia. However, today, this question remains open. However, the Foreign Ministry does not rule out the possibility of the Dalai Lama's visit in the near future.Senior Administrator of the Central Khurul of Kalmykia, Yonten-Gelyung, is confident that negotiations between Russia and China with the participation of Russian Buddhists could resolve the issue of organizing the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama to our country.
“We would like the issue of the Dalai Lama's visit to Russia to become the subject of discussion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China in the very near future. And we want to take part in such negotiations in order to convince the Chinese leadership that the Dalai Lama does not pose a threat to territorial integrity. We would also try to convince the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation that accepting the Dalai Lama is our constitutional right, “said Yonten-Gelyung.
According to him, believers in Kalmykia are hoping for a visit by the 14th Dalai Lama after the coronavirus pandemic. The Dalai Lama himself has already expressed his readiness to visit Kalmykia, the priest added.
