Hungary hails Peshmerga role in protecting Christians in fight against ISIS

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A top Hungarian envoy on Tuesday hailed the role of Peshmerga forces in protecting Christians and other minorities in a meeting with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Erbil.

Barzani received Tristan Azbej, Hungary’s State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians and his delegation in the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil, where the two discussed the role of the Region in protecting the Christian and other minorities from the Islamic State group, the recent papal visit, and bilateral relations.

Azbej thanked the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces who “sacrificed a lot” to protect the Christian population and other minority groups in Iraq when the terror group attacked their areas, according to a statement from Barzani’s office.

In addition, Azbej praised the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for its successful and warm handling of the Catholic church leader’s visit to the Region, the statement added.

The final stop of Pope Francis’ trip was Erbil, where he led a Mass for an estimated 10,000 attendees at Franso Hariri Stadium, named for the assassinated Christian politician and former governor of Erbil.

Barzani, in turn, thanked Hungary for its “assistance and support” to the Kurdistan Region within the framework of the international coalition against ISIS, and expressed his satisfaction with multilateral relations with the eastern European country. 

The Hungerian envoy in a tweet on Monday said he had been touched by a scene during the Mass when Pope Francis prayed in front of a restored statue of the Virgin Mary that had been desecrated by ISIS militants when they occupied the Nineveh plains between 2014 and 2017. 

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly