SCOTTISH Greens MSP Ross Greer has travelled to India to meet exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.
The pair met after the West of Scotland Parliamentarian travelled to Dharmasala, in Himachal Pradesh, in his role as chair of Holyrood’s Cross-Party Group for Tibet.
Greer said he presented the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism with a motion of condolence for his late brother Gyalo Thondup, who died in February, which the MSP said “clearly meant a lot”.
He told The National: “He [Dalai Lama] stopped to read it in full before we continued.
“I also gave him a Scottish Parliament quaich and Nan Shepherd's Living Mountain from my local bookshop in Milngavie.”
Ross John Greer MSP, Chair of the Scottish Cross-Party Group for Tibet, accompanied by Eleanor Jane Byrne-Rosengren & Cameron E. William Garrett visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on 3rd April 2025. pic.twitter.com/sX5Alqkqbn
— Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (@Tibparliament) April 3, 2025
The Dalai Lama, who was recognised as the head of the Tibetan strain of Buddhism at the age of two, has lived in India since 1959 after fleeing his homeland amid political turmoil, sparked by fears he would be arrested by Chinese communists when they annexed the territory.
He set up a government-in-exile and retired as the political leader of Tibet in 2011 to make way for a democratic administration.
On Thursday, Greer met with Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile alongside German CDU Bundestag member Michael Brand.
Greer said he discussed with the Tibetan government representatives how the the US government had dealt Tibetans a “bitter blow” by cutting aid funding.
But Greer's trip has been criticised by Green campaigner Niall Christie, who pointed to offensive statements made by the Dalai Lama.
The Tibetan leader sparked anger in 2018 after saying that "Europe belongs to the Europeans" and that refugees should return to their home countries.
The 89-year-old was also once forced to apologise after joking that he would like his successor to be "more attractive" than him" and shocked the world in 2023 when he asked a child to "suck my tongue".
Christie added: "Is this what we want in a political leader?"
Greer added: “Back in Tibet over a million children have been taken from their parents and placed in 'boarding schools' where they are only taught in Chinese, in a blatant attempt to destroy Tibetan culture and language in a single generation.
“Even owning a photo of the Dalai Lama or a Tibetan flag is a crime which could see you disappeared by the Chinese occupation forces. Tibetans have less freedom than North Koreans, yet both the UK and Scottish Governments continue trying to build a closer relationship with the Chinese authorities.”
The MSP said he hoped to promote cash-strapped projects for Tibetan exiles, adding: “I hope the kind-hearted, internationalist people of Scotland will step up where the US has let our Tibetan friends down and ensure these projects can continue.”
