(TibetanReview.net, Jun26’25) – Mr Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong (executive head) of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), has concluded on Jun 25 a two-day visit to Germany, highlighted by a “significant diplomatic milestone” in which he met, among others, with “high-ranking officials” from the German Foreign Office, said the CTA on its Tibet.net website Jun 26. The report did not name the officials he met with.
The report said: “Unlike previous meetings in Germany, this engagement marked a significant diplomatic milestone, and Sikyong took this strategic opportunity to present concrete ways in which the German government could support the Tibetan people and their non-violent struggle. The meeting concluded on a positive note, with renewed hope for greater support and engagement from the German government.”
The report said that in his interviews with the German media, namely Benedikt Voigt of Tagesspiegel and Natalie Mayroth of TAZ – as well as ZDF Television and Till Fahnders of FAZ – the Tibetan Sikyong answered queries on the subject of the current Dalai Lama’s reincarnation and the broader significance of His Holiness’s 90th birthday.
The Tibetan Sikyong has also elaborated on the upcoming conference of top Tibetan religious leaders from across the world scheduled to be held at Dharamshala over Jul 2–4. He was stated to have “highlighted the importance of this milestone birthday” and “further underscored the enduring relevance of the Four Principal Commitments of His Holiness, which will serve as the foundation for the various international events being organised to commemorate the occasion.”
In this connection, a Tibet.net report Jun 25 said one of the primary objectives of the Tibetan Sikyong’s visit was to call upon the German government to issue an official statement on the reincarnation of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, reaffirming the Tibetan people’s right to religious freedom and His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s authority to determine the spiritual leadership without external interference.
This is in view of the fact that China has made clear its intention to appoint its own 15th Dalai Lama “reincarnation” in defiance of the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist tradition which holds that it is the Tibetan Buddhist leaders, believed to be enlightened – such as the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama, and the Karmapa – who decide whether and if so where they will reincarnate.
On Jun 24, the Tibetan Sikyong was stated to have met with Michael Brand, Member of the German Bundestag and a long-standing advocate for the Tibetan cause, at the latter’s parliamentary office.
He was also stated to have participated in a series of media interviews that day also, “aimed at further amplifying Tibetan voice on the global stage.” This reportedly included those with Deutschlandradio and Sven Hauberg of Ippen Media.