DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 27: His Holiness the Dalai Lama sent a letter to Madame Bernadette Chirac today, condoling the demise of her husband Jacques Chirac, former president of France.
Chirac passed away yesterday morning at the age of 86.
In the letter, His Holiness said he had the privilege of knowing Monsieur Chirac ever since he was elected Mayor of Paris and that he counted him among the friends of the Tibetan people.
“When he was President of France, I admired the way he cultivated close cooperation with Germany, which served to strengthen the European Union. I have a dream that similar visionary political projects will spread to Africa, Latin America, and Asia.”
Apart from his advocacy of the European Union, he was known for his opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
His Holiness concluded that Monsieur Chirac’s dedication in championing the integration of the European Union will be remembered with respect.
Chirac served as the Prime Minister of France twice from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988.
He later served as the President of France and ex-officio Co-Prince of Andorra from 1995 to 2007.
The current French President Emmanuel Macron in a televised address from the Elysee Palace mourned the death of the former president and said, “We French have lost a statesman whom we loved as much as he loved us.”
His office said a national day of mourning will take place on Monday when a mass at the Saint-Sulpice church in Paris will be held.
The illuminations at the Eiffel Tower is to be switched off two hours earlier than usual tonight in honour of Chirac, a former Paris mayor.
Paris is home to a sizeable number of Tibetans, totaling around 7,000 in all of France, according to Bureau du Tibet, Brussels, Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) office looking after the community in the region.
