Russia Rejects Visa to Dalai Lama

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, August 18, 2002

Russia Rejects Visa to Dalai Lama

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Friday it would not let the Dalai Lama come for a visit, the second time in a year Moscow has refused to allow the leader of exiled Tibetan Buddhists into the country.

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Russia's Foreign Ministry said Friday it would not let the Dalai Lama come for a visit, the second time in a year Moscow has refused to allow the leader of exiled Tibetan Buddhists into the country.

The ministry spokesman Boris Malakhov said in a statement that the decision was made after Buddhist organizations sought permission for the visit. Dalai Lama was originally invited to Russia's Buddhist regions of Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia in September.

Malakhov said Russia was concerned about the visit's political motivations, which could be proved by the proposed inclusion in the Dalai Lama's delegation of "representatives of the so-called government of Tibet in exile" and other nonreligious figures.

He stressed that Russia attached great importance to its relations with China and should certainly take into account the position of China, whose leadership is sharply negative regarding the political activities of the Dalai Lama.

Russia previously refused a visit proposed for last September.

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