OSLO: Norway said yesterday that its government would not meet the Dalai Lama during his visit to Oslo in May, in a controversial decision aimed at warming up icy relations with China.
“The government today decided that no representatives from the Norwegian authorities would meet the Dalai Lama when he is visiting Norway,” Foreign Minister Boerge Brende told Norwegian newswire NTB.
When asked for the reason of the decision, he said it was due to “the absolutely extraordinary situation between China and Norway” which have not had “any real political contact” for several years.
Political relations between Beijing and Oslo plunged to a low after Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.
Chinese leaders froze high-level contacts with Norwegian counterparts, and Oslo’s attempts to normalise political relations have since proven fruitless, as China wants to set an example to deter other countries.
Norway’s decision came after the Chinese government issued a new warning this week that Beijing is “firmly opposed to other countries providing a platform for the Dalai Lama’s activities that aim at dividing China”.
Beijing considers Tibet an integral part of its territory and sees the Dalai Lama as a separatist.
The Tibetan spiritual leader is expected in Norway from May 7 to 9, having been invited by pro-Tibetan groups.
AFP
