Dalai Lama congratulates youngest president of European Parliament
DHARAMSALA, 21 Jan: Women can be better placed to lead the world to a more peaceful level, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said after MS Roberta Metsola was appointed as the youngest-ever president of the European Parliament and its third female president
“If I may say so, I believe that women are more empathetic than men in providing genuine concern for the well-being of others. Therefore, women can be better placed to lead the world to a more peaceful level,” the Tibetan spiritual leader has said in a missive addressed to Ms Roberta Metsola, congratulating her on being elected the President of the European Parliament
Recollecting his past visits to the European parliament, the Dalai Lama has “expressed his gratitude for the hospitality and the support it has given to him and the Tibetan people.”
The Tibetan Nobel Laureate who has long expressed his admiration for the spirit of the European Union has further said that it is “an inspiring example for a cooperative and peaceful co-existence among different nations and peoples, and deeply inspiring for people like myself who strongly believe in the need for better understanding, closer cooperation, and greater respect among various nations of the world.”
He has further written that as the world is facing many challenges at the moment, “it is in need of leaders who have long-term vision” while declaring that “I remain convinced that most human conflicts can be resolved through a genuine dialogue conducted with a spirit of openness and reconciliation.”
The octogenarian Tibetan leader has further stated “In fact, it was with this spirit in 1988 that I formally proposed resolving the issue of Tibet through a mutually beneficial solution with the Chinese leadership.”
“I had consciously chosen the European Parliament as a venue to present my thoughts then to underline the point that a genuine union can only come about voluntarily when there are satisfactory benefits to all the parties concerned,” the Dalai Lama added.
The Dalai Lama concluded by wishing the new President of the European a successful tenure.
Ms Metsola, 43, a Christian Democrat politician from Malta became the youngest president of the European Parliament on Tuesday.
She was elected president of the European Union Parliament for a two-and-a-half-year term after securing 458 of the 616 votes following the death of Socialist David Sassoli last week.
