Dharamshala: Due to the reception of the spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his visit to Estonia this past August, China has cancelled the official visit of Estonian Agriculture Minister Helir-Valdor Seeder.
According to the Baltic Times, China has said they cancelled the visit due to "an incident in mid-August." During that time, His Holiness gave teachings in Tallinn and met with, met with, among others, Estonian President Toomas Hendrick.
The Chinese Embassy in Estonia had warned Estonia that "by allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Estonia and arranging official meetings with him, Estonia will seriously violate the basic principles of international relations," according to a statement given to Estonian national news agency ERR.
Warning that these actions would harm relations between China and Estonia, the statement told Estonia to "seriously consider China's stance, immediately adopt measures to cancel the official meeting and stop interfering in China's internal affairs."
"As far as I can judge, the letter implied that it was a one-time reaction to the visit of the Dalai Lama in Estonia," Seeder said, adding that the Beijing meeting had been a long-prepared affair, initiated by the Chinese ministry, and initially was to take place last year but was later rescheduled.
