India Very Important Country In Asia: Dalai Lama

November 20th 2009

New Delhi, 20 November 2009 (IANS) - The Dalai Lama Friday said here that India should be seen as one of the most important Asian countries. He also stressed that while he no longer considered himself the temporal leader of Tibetans, China had 'revitalised' him as a politician.

'For many years, whenever I was in Washington and Europe, I always told leaders that when you think about Asia, you must think of India too,' he said, answering a query on the recent US-China joint statement that China should help in the stability of South Asia.

The joint statement had led to concerns in India about the US giving a role to China in bilateral issues relating to India and Pakistan. India responded to the statement by saying that there was no role for a third country in resolving the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan.

'India is very important. Not just due to the size of population, but (is) also among the greatest of democracies,' the Dalai Lama said while delivering the annual Sunanda Bhandari lecture at the Siri Fort auditorium here.

The Dalai Lama also said that he no longer considered himself as the temporal head of the Tibetan people.

'I am no more both the temporal and spiritual leader since 2001

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