Problems, Disagreements Best Resolved Through Dialogue: Dalai Lama on Ukraine crisis

S Sahoo February 28, 2022

51 1 minute read

FILE - In this April 5, 2017, file photo, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama greets devotees at the Buddha Park in Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh, India. More than 150 Tibetan religious leaders say their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, should have the sole authority to choose his successor. A resolution adopted by the leaders at a conference on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019, says the Tibetan people will not recognize a candidate chosen by the Chinese government for political ends. ( AP Photo/Tenzin Choejor, File)

Dharamsala, Feb 28: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Monday expressed anguish over the Ukraine crisis, and said that problems and disagreements are best resolved through dialogue.

War is outdated and non-violence is the only way, the Nobel peace prize winner said on the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

In a statement issued here, he said, “I have been deeply saddened by the conflict in Ukraine. Our world has become so interdependent that violent conflict between two countries inevitably impacts the rest of the word. War is outdated non-violence is the only way. We need to develop a sense of the oneness of humanity by considering other human beings as brothers and sisters. This is how we will build a more peaceful world.

Problems and disagreements are best resolved through dialogue. Genuine peace comes about through mutual understanding and respect for each other’s wellbeing, the Dalai Lama said.

Hoping that peace is swiftly restored in Ukraine, he said, We must not lose hope. The 20th century was a century of war and bloodshed. The 21st century must be a century of dialogue.