Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on resumption of direct talks between the Chinese government and envoys of the Dalai Lama, with alignment of third countries of 24 February 2006

The European Union welcomes the arrival in China on 14 February of a delegation of envoys of the Dalai Lama who will conduct a fifth round of talks with the Chinese Government.

The EU strongly supports this dialogue and hopes that both parties will be willing to address in good faith substantive issues in order to find pragmatic solutions which can contribute to a peaceful and sustainable settlement for Tibet that both sides agree upon.
The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.