His Holiness Dalai Lama has spoken out about the current Syria refugee crisis in Europe during his 10-day visit in the UK.
The migrant crisis prompted by the civil war in Syria is currently the largest movement of people to Europe since the World War II. Speaking at an event in Oxford, the 80-year-old religious leader expressed his admiration for Germany and Austria for responding to the problem although he thinks not all refugees could be accommodated.
"I think Germany and Austria have had a very good response to the refugee crisis, this country (The UK) is also now showing the seriousness of what we have to do," Dalai Lama said. "But we have to think, it's impossible for everyone to come to Europe."
The Tibetan spiritual leader also talked about the need for peaceful actions to stop the violence in the Middle East.
"So taking care of several thousand refugees [is] wonderful, but [in the] mean time you have to think about long-term solutions," he said. "How to bring genuine peace and genuine development, mainly through education, for these Muslim countries."
"Ultimately we have to think about how to reduce the killing in their countries," he continued. "We have to reduce the use of force. The use of force has never solved these problems."
Recalling 9/11, Dalai Lama also discussed his thoughts about how former US President George Bush responded to the attack.
"After 9/11, I expressed my condolences in a letter to President Bush and told him the way to solve this problem was through non-violence," he said. "I know his motives were good but he used force and it created unexpected consequences."
Being an exile himself for 56 years, Dalai Lama was also a victim of brutal treatment when the Chinese went against him and the Tibetan Buddhist beliefs. In 1959, the monk was forced to leave the country for safety.
