Dharamsala, Jan 20 (IANS): Believing that women can be better placed to lead the world to a more peaceful level, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has written to Roberta Metsola congratulating her on being elected the President of the European Parliament.

His Holiness recollected his past visits to the Parliament and expressed his gratitude for the hospitality and the support it has given to him and the Tibetan people.

Acknowledging her appointment as the youngest ever president of the European Parliament and its third female president, he said: "If I may say so, I believe that women are more empathetic than men in providing genuine concern for the well-being of others. Therefore, women can be better placed to lead the world to a more peaceful level."

In his praise of the European Union, the spiritual leader said it is "an inspiring example for a cooperative and peaceful co-existence among different nations and peoples, and deeply inspiring for people like myself who strongly believe in the need for better understanding, closer cooperation, and greater respect among various nations of the world."

"At this time the world is facing many challenges and is in need of leaders who have long-term vision. I remain convinced that most human conflicts can be resolved through genuine dialogue conducted with a spirit of openness and reconciliation."

Commenting on Tibet, His Holiness said: "In fact, it was with this spirit in 1988 that I formally proposed resolving the issue of Tibet through a mutually beneficial solution with the Chinese leadership. I had consciously chosen the European Parliament as a venue to present my thoughts then to underline the point that a genuine union can only come about voluntarily when there are satisfactory benefits to all the parties concerned."

In conclusion, the elderly Buddhist monk once again offered his greetings and wished her a successful tenure.