DHARAMSHALA: A three-member Swedish delegation led by a member of the Swedish Parliament, Carl Schlyter, Green Party, Mattias Bjornerstedt, President of the Swedish Tibet Committee and Vice President Jamyang Choedon, held its first press conference today at DIIR’s Lhakpa Tsering Memorial Hall.
Carl Schlyter, MP, Green Party, also a member of the Swedish Tibet Friendship Parliamentary group expressed its continued support on the Tibet issue today.
“We are a country with 203 consecutive years of non military conflict. In our spirit, we have a saying or an idiom which says ‘the golden path of the middle road or the middle way’. It means that, understand what your adversary or fellow human being wants, try to find a solution where, what you want can be coincided with that person; this philosophy has left us with over two hundred years of peace.”
“When I heard about the Middle Way, I think that is something that we have in common, Tibetan people and the Swedish people, because that’s how we do business. So I was very happy when I heard about the proposal originally some years ago.”
MP Carl further said, “I think this is a way to fit Swedish psyche to work in a similar way to find a solution. We had war with our neighbours for centuries, now we consider them as friends. Today we are able to freely travel, work, move and change. I hope one day soon you will have the same opportunity to protect your culture and way of life.”
He asserted the interest of the Swedish Tibet Friendship Group in encouraging dialogue among the Swedish people and influence its government to support the Tibet issue. “We thought it was the right moment to create this group as Sweden has been discussing a lot about refugee crisis. Even if people of Sweden would not know much about Tibet, they would have a positive impression of His Holiness and instinctively about the proposed way forward. Therefore we could create more debate using this friendship group to influence our government and to lift this issue among our people, which could be a helping hand in a good force and finding a solution.”
MP Carl expressed his happiness at being able to come to Dharamshala to witness “the impressively efficient administration” of Tibetan schools and institutes in Dharamshala.
Mattias Bjornerstedt, President of Swedish Tibet committee, speaking at the press conference at Lhakpa Tsering Hall, DIIR. Photo/Tenzin Phende/DIIR
Mattias Bjornerstedt, President of the Swedish Tibet Committee said, “For us, the Tibet issue is not mainly about Tibet itself. It is about what is right and wrong in life and what it is to be human.”
He further added,”It is extremely inspirational to see the methods you use in your struggle; dignity, strength, compassion that you mixed into this should be a model for all conflicts in the world.”
He assured that they will do their best to energise their members to actively participate and spread awareness regarding the Tibet issue.
MP Carl is the chief guest at the official function to commemorate 57th Tibetan Democracy day at Tsuglagkhang on 2 September 2017.
Swedish Tibet Friendship Parliamentary group was formed at the Swedish Parliamentary House by five Swedish Parliamentarians: Margareta Cederfelt (M), Kerstin Lundgren (C), Carl Schlyter (MP), Tina Acketoft (L) and Caroline Szyber (KD) on 28 March 2017.
Swedish MP Carl Schlyter speaking at the press conference at Lhakpa Tsering hall, DIIR.