(TibetanReview.net, Nov10’26) – A delegation from the Baltic Sea state of Estonia led by four members of its parliament has on Nov 6 visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) after it had called on His Holiness the Dalai Lama at his residence the day before. The delegation members have sought to encourage the Tibetan people not to lose hope towards the realization of their freedom with the preservation of their identity. They have pointed to Estonia’s own example after decades of subjugation under the erstwhile Soviet Union.
Leading the delegation were four members of Estonia’s unicameral parliament, called the Riigikogu, Mr Toomas Uibo, Mr Grigore-Kalev Stoicescu, Mr Tiit Maran and Ms Kadri Tali. They were joined by personages from the fields of diplomacy, entrepreneurship, investment, cultural heritage, environmental conservation, research and the arts, said the TPiE on the Tibet.net website Nov 10. They included Evar Riitsaar, Mare Mätas, Monika Wessels, Riivo Anton, Allan Kaldoja, Piret Simson, Rando Künnapuu, Mati Kose, Annabel Piiritalu and Roy Strider, who organized the delegation.
TPiE Speaker Ms Dolma Tsering Teykhang has expressed appreciation to Roy Strider for bringing not only members of the Estonian Parliament but also a diverse group of professionals and civil society representatives to Dharamshala. Like the Estonians, she has also highlighted the shared experiences of the Tibetan and Estonian peoples on their foreign domination and struggle to preserve their distinct national identity, culture, and way of life.
She has described the present situation in Tibet as one of the darkest in its history, noting that the survival of its distinct national identity, culture, language and religious traditions were under severe pressure under the Chinese occupation rule. In particular, she has highlighted the Chinese government’s policies concerning Tibetan language education and the establishment of colonial-style boarding schools, with the Tibetan children being separated from their families and the Tibetan cultural environment.
She has added that China’s recently introduced Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law poses the most serious challenges yet to the preservation of the distinct identities of the Tibetan people and other non-Han communities.
Estonia won the restoration of its independence in 1991 after nearly half a century, following the collapse of the erstwhile Soviet Union led by Russia.