TibetanReview.net, May03, 2014) Norway’s top political leaders may have felt compelled to decide to refuse to meet with the Dalai Lama when he visits Oslo from May 7 to 9 due to the urgency to improve business relations with China. However, to the exile Tibetan leadership, this step is a wrong signal both to Tibetans in Tibet and to other countries’ leaders, and it negatively impacts Norway’s moral standing.
“What I think the Norwegian government should consider is that by not meeting the Dalai Lama, they are sending a chilling signal to Tibetans in Tibet, and that is exactly what the Chinese want,” thelocal.no May 2 quoted the Dalai Lama’s London-based representative Mr Thubten Samdup as having told the country’s broadcasting service NRK network.
He has also said that as a country which hosts and awards the Nobel Peace Prize, refusing to meet the Dalai Lama would set a “wrong precedence” for other countries.