Foreign officials in Kurdistan Region extend Christmas wishes, hope for peace

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – During Christmas Eve celebrations in Ankawa on Monday, foreign officials from various Consulates in the Kurdistan Region said they hope the Christmas celebrations and the new year bring peace and prosperity for the people of Kurdistan and Iraq.

French Consul General in Erbil Dominique Mas extended his well wishes to Christians and all other people in Kurdistan and Iraq.

“This day is normally a day of peace and a day of joy, so I wish all the Christian community but [also] all the Kurdish people, all the Iraqi people a day full of joy and peace for the coming days and the coming weeks,” Mas told Kurdistan 24.

US Consul General in Erbil Steve Fagin said he hopes the new year brings peace and prosperity for all the components in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

“We wish all worshippers a Merry Christmas. We wish the entire population of Kurdistan a happy new year, and we hope in the new year for peace and prosperity in the Kurdistan Region and throughout Iraq,” Fagin stated.

He added that he hopes the politicians in Iraq and Kurdistan“can deliver the people peace and prosperity in the new year.”

Italy’s Consul General in Erbil Serena Muroni wished all those celebrating in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and around the world “best wishes of Merry Christmas.”

She also extended her “best wishes for a very happy and prosperous and peaceful new year.”

German Consul General in Erbil Barbara Wolf described the auspicious holiday as an opportunity for “peace, people living together in harmony, and people respecting each other.”

“[My] message is Merry Christmas, all the best wishes for the new year, happiness and peace for all.”

Clarisse Pásztory, the Head of the European Union’s Liaison Office in Erbil, said the Christmas concepts of love and forgiveness can be extended to politics.

“Less hatred, more understanding, more cooperation, forgiveness” are “very important also in politics,” she told Kurdistan 24.

“The ability to look beyond the mistakes that people may have made or things people may have trespassed against you” is vital in politics, Pásztory added.

“[Christmas] is about understanding, working together with other people, forgiving, embracing, understanding and doing the best.”

(Kurdistan 24 correspondent Blessa Shaweys conducted the interviews)