The President’s Meeting with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama

Posted by Kori Schulman on July 17, 2011 at 11:29 AM EDT

President Barack Obama meets with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House. July 16, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Yesterday morning President Obama met with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House. Here's the statement from the Press Secretary on their meeting:

The President reiterated his strong support for the preservation of the unique religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions of Tibet and the Tibetan people throughout the world. He underscored the importance of the protection of human rights of Tibetans in China. The President commended the Dalai Lama’s commitment to nonviolence and dialogue with China and his pursuit of the “Middle Way” approach. Reiterating the U.S. policy that Tibet is a part of the People’s Republic of China and the United States does not support independence for Tibet, the President stressed that he encourages direct dialogue to resolve long-standing differences and that a dialogue that produces results would be positive for China and Tibetans. The President stressed the importance he attaches to building a U.S.-China cooperative partnership. The Dalai Lama stated that he is not seeking independence for Tibet and hopes that dialogue between his representatives and the Chinese government can soon resume.