The Dalai Lama arrived Monday in Russia's Buddhist region of Kalmykia for a long-awaited visit that is certain to anger China. The revered 69-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader flew into Kalmykia at 1300 GMT from New Delhi. He was due to stay until Wednesday in his first trip to the sleepy southern province since 1992, when he made a tour of Russia's Buddhist regions that also included Buryatia and Tyva in Siberia.
"Even if it is a short visit, it is very important for us," said Telo Rinpoche, the spiritual chief of Buddhists in Kalmykia. "Thanks to the support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama there has been great progress in the renaissance of the Buddhist faith in Kalmykia."
Rinpoche asked all of Kalmykia's residents to abstain from smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages and authorities have promised to close all casinos in Elista and its environs during the Dalai Lama's three-day sojourn.
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