Madrid – A new Inter-Parliamentary Group for Tibet, composed of 29 senators, was officially launched in the Spanish Senate. The main objectives of the group are to promote greater international recognition of the Tibetan issue, in particular to improve respect for human rights in Tibet and to draw attention to the unresolved issue of Tibet.
The Inter-Parliamentary Group for Tibet was launched in the Spanish Senate on February 21, 2023. An inaugural ceremony was held to mark the formation of the group in the Manuel Giménez Abad hall of the Senate, in the presence of Representative Genkhang of the Office of Tibet, the Venerable Thupten Wangchen and Thupten Gyatso, members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile representing Europe and Africa, and Ringzing Dolma, President of the Tibetan Community in Spain.
According to Office of Tibet in Brussels, Robert Masih Nahar, President of the group, described the main objectives of the formation of the group as to promote wider international recognition of the Tibetan issue, in particular to improve respect for human rights in Tibet and to draw attention to the unresolved issue of Tibet, to work with other inter-parliamentary groups on Tibet in European countries and with the Intergroup on Tibet in the European Parliament to support the call for the appointment of an "EU Special Representative for Tibetan Affairs" with a mandate to promote a substantive dialogue between envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the People's Republic of China.
Representative Genkhang, on behalf of the Tibet Office, welcomed this historic initiative and thanked the President and the other 28 Senators for their support. She then gave a brief but insightful presentation on the situation in Tibet in general while highlighting the most pressing issues and said, “Setting up an Inter-Parliamentary Group for Tibet at such a critical time in Tibet’s history is an act of solidarity with the six million Tibetans that are undergoing tremendous suffering under the Chinese Communist Party. This also reflects your support for non-violence advocated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the commitment of the Central Tibetan Administration to solve the Sino-Tibetan conflict through dialogue."
The three other Tibetan speakers also recalled the seriousness of the situation in Tibet and expressed their appreciation to the Senators for their support in establishing the group and urged them to continue their support.
Penpa Tsering, Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration, in his video message, welcomed the formation of the Inter-Parliamentary Group for Tibet in the Spanish Senate and invited the senators to visit Dharamshala in the future.
