Hollywood actor and advocate for Tibet issue who is in Berlin to promote his latest film met with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday where the two reportedly talked about current Tibetan issues and situation under the China.

The talk at the Chancellery was “about the current situation in Tibet”, Merkel’s spokesperson Steffen Seibert tweeted yesterday.

Kai Muller, the Executive Director of International Campaign for Tibet, Germany, was quoted by exile government run Tibet.net as saying, “his (Richard Gere) high level engagement on Tibet in Germany is very encouraging at a critical time. Richard Gere updated the Chancellor on recent developments in Tibet and spoke about ways in which the international community could help mitigate the plight of the Tibetan people.”

Gere is currently in German capital to attend the premiere of his latest Hollywood film, “the Dinner” at the Berlin film festival (Berlinale). He has won the Golden Globe for best actor for the acclaimed musical ‘Chicago’ in 2002. In 1993, Gere was banned as an Academy Award presenter after he denounced the Chinese government in his capacity as presenter.

The 67 year old actor and activist is a close friend of the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and an active figure in humanitarian and charity initiatives. A devout Buddhist and staunch advocate of the Tibetan issue, Gere serves at the Chair of the International Campaign for Tibet. The actor also co-founded the Tibet House.

Source: www.phayul (by Tenzin Dharpo, February 10, 2017)