The Dalai Lama announced in France his full support for the Olympics in China

Noting that the Chinese people deserved to host the Games, the Dalai Lama added during the opening ceremony of a large Vietnamese pagoda in the southern suburb of Paris, Evry, "I fully support the Olympic Games." China ahead of...

Noting that the Chinese people deserved to host the Games, the Dalai Lama added during the opening ceremony of a large Vietnamese pagoda in the southern suburb of Paris, Evry, "I fully support the Olympic Games."

On the eve of the Olympics that began on August 8, China was forced to repeatedly appeal to the countries of the world not to interfere in the internal affairs of the country and to abandon the politicization of the Olympic movement. A number of leaders of public and human rights organizations openly declared their rejection of the PRC's policy regarding the issue of non-observance of human rights and the illegal occupation of Tibet.

The surge in negative comments about China and claims of a possible boycott of the upcoming games followed the March riots in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, when the authorities crushed protests by supporters of "Tibet independence" and accused the Dalai Lama, who was in exile in India, of organizing the pogroms.

The Buddhist temple in Evry is one of the largest in Europe. The opening ceremony was attended by the mayor of Evry Manuel Vall and the head of the Paris region Jean-Paul Huchon, as well as the Catholic Bishop of Evry Michel Dubos. The Dalai Lama in his address called for peace, dialogue between religions and "human compassion".

A meeting of the Dalai Lama with a group of members of the French Senate and a press conference are scheduled for August 13 in Paris. After Paris, the Buddhist leader will visit the provinces of Normandy and Brittany for religious purposes, and will also spend six days in the city of Nantes.

The Dalai Lama has decided not to meet with President Nicolas Sarkozy, stressing that his trip to France is spiritual, not political. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President George W. Bush hosted the Dalai Lama last year. Presidential wife Madame Sarkozy is expected to attend the dedication of a temple in Lodew in southern France on 23 August.

According to the French Buddhist Union, there are about 770,000 Buddhists in the country, three-quarters of whom are of Asian origin.

According to the message RIA News