WARSAW, Poland—Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama XIV visited Warsaw, Poland from July 27 to 29, receiving an honorary citizenship from local officials.
“It is an honor for Warsaw, its citizens and the local government that we again invited the Nobel Peace prize winner, His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV of Tibet,” said Hanna Gronkiewicz–Waltz, mayor of Warsaw, at a ceremony in the Royal Castle.
“We are proud that the Dalai Lama is symbolically one of us—a citizen of an unharnessed city,” she said.
The honorary citizenship—which was decided upon in May—was presented to the Dalai Lama by Gronkiewicz–Waltz and Ewa Malinowska-Grupinska, chairwoman of the City Council. The exiled leader now holds similar titles in other cities, including Rome, Venice, Paris and Wroclaw.
“It’s a great happiness and honor to become a member of this famous city,” said Dalai Lama upon receiving the title. He added that he will visit Warsaw more often in the future.
This was the fourth visit of Dalai Lama’s visit in Poland. His previous trips were made in 1993, 2000 and 2008.
During this visit, one of the issues discussed was the naming of roundabout in Warsaw—a small issue with deep political meaning. Last year, a councilor proposed to call it the “Free Tibet” roundabout, in order to support Tibet achieving autonomy under the PRC rule. Many fellow councillors initially supported the idea, but their enthusiasm lessened after the Chinese embassy protested the proposal to the Polish Premier and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Dalai Lama noted that the proposal is both “right” and “logical,” adding that he condemned the Chinese regime’s inaccurate reports on its suppression of Tibetans in Lhasa in March 2008.
Lech Walesa, former president of the Republic of Poland and solidarity leader told the Dalai Lama that he hopes that one day Tibet will be free, and that the Dalai Lama will receive a similar title in Tibet to the one he obtained in Warsaw.
During his stay, the Dalai Lama also gave a lecture at Warsaw University, opened a new Tibetan herbal medicine clinic, and visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
“It is an honor for Warsaw, its citizens and the local government that we again invited the Nobel Peace prize winner, His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV of Tibet,” said Hanna Gronkiewicz–Waltz, mayor of Warsaw, at a ceremony in the Royal Castle.
“We are proud that the Dalai Lama is symbolically one of us—a citizen of an unharnessed city,” she said.
The honorary citizenship—which was decided upon in May—was presented to the Dalai Lama by Gronkiewicz–Waltz and Ewa Malinowska-Grupinska, chairwoman of the City Council. The exiled leader now holds similar titles in other cities, including Rome, Venice, Paris and Wroclaw.
“It’s a great happiness and honor to become a member of this famous city,” said Dalai Lama upon receiving the title. He added that he will visit Warsaw more often in the future.
This was the fourth visit of Dalai Lama’s visit in Poland. His previous trips were made in 1993, 2000 and 2008.
During this visit, one of the issues discussed was the naming of roundabout in Warsaw—a small issue with deep political meaning. Last year, a councilor proposed to call it the “Free Tibet” roundabout, in order to support Tibet achieving autonomy under the PRC rule. Many fellow councillors initially supported the idea, but their enthusiasm lessened after the Chinese embassy protested the proposal to the Polish Premier and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Dalai Lama noted that the proposal is both “right” and “logical,” adding that he condemned the Chinese regime’s inaccurate reports on its suppression of Tibetans in Lhasa in March 2008.
Lech Walesa, former president of the Republic of Poland and solidarity leader told the Dalai Lama that he hopes that one day Tibet will be free, and that the Dalai Lama will receive a similar title in Tibet to the one he obtained in Warsaw.
During his stay, the Dalai Lama also gave a lecture at Warsaw University, opened a new Tibetan herbal medicine clinic, and visited the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
