Czech presidential candidate Miloš Zeman said he would refuse to meet with the Dalai Lama if he were elected. Zeman, who was prime minister from 1998 to 2002, made this statement during a debate focused on foreign policy organized by the European Values think-tank. He added, however, that if the Dalai Lama was a big investor, then he’d meet with the Tibetan spiritual leader.
While former Czech President Václav Havel met the Dalai Lama several times and developed a personal relationship with him, the current President Václav Klaus has never done so.
The subject has stirred political discussions since Prime Minister Petr Nečas said that supporting the Dalai Lama or Russian activists like Pussy Riot could harm Czech exports. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg criticized that statement, saying that he has been “horrified that the prime minister of the Czech Republic can bow to countries which we all know are suppressing human rights.”
