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His Holiness the Dalai Lama offers condolences over former Indiana Senator Richard Lugar’s death

Senators Richard Lugar and Joe Biden with the Dalai Lama in Washington, D.C. in 2003. Photo courtesy of ICT

Dharamshala: His Holiness the Dalai Lama offered condolences over the passing away of Senator Richard Lugar, former Indiana Senator.

In a letter to Mrs Lugar, His Holiness said, “I am deeply saddened by the passing away of your husband, Richard Lugar. I offer my profound condolences to you and your children at this distressing time.”

“Senator Lugar devoted his life to the service of the American people and served with dedication. The fact that his colleague praises his bipartisan nature says a lot about the man he was.”

“As a Tibetan, I greatly appreciate his many years of support to the Tibetan cause, including in the meetings that I have had with Senators during my several visits to Washington, D.C. Support by him and his colleagues have been one of the sources of encouragement to the Tibetan people not to give up hope and to continue with our non-violent struggle for freedom,” His Holiness concluded.

Former Indiana Senator Richard Lugar was a foreign policy icon in the Senate and he had received the nation’s highest civilian awards for his efforts to secure and destroy weapons of mass destruction after the collapse of Soviet Union.