President Barzani: Kurdistan remains safe haven for Christians

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Officials in the Kurdistan Region on Saturday congratulated Christians in the Region and Iraq on the eve of Christmas.

In a statement released on the Presidency website, the Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani congratulated the Christians and hoped after the Islamic State (IS) was defeated people would be able to return home.

“Due to the terrorist attacks on their areas, our Christian brothers and sisters have been displaced and have not been able to return yet,” President Barzani added.

Moreover, the President reassured that “Kurdistan would always remain a safe haven for the Christians.”

“Peshmerga forces have defended Kurdistan with their blood, and protected Christians and other components by liberating their areas,” the President continued.

President Barzani reiterated that “Kurdistan would be committed to the values of coexistence.”

“The ideology of terror and classification based on religious sects will never have a place in Kurdistan,” he added.

In a separate statement, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) extended congratulations to the Christians in the Region and Iraq.

The report stated that despite the financial crisis, the KRG would continue its efforts to provide services for the displaced Christian and would preserve the culture of coexistence and tolerance.

Additionally, in a Christmas message, the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Chancellor Masrour Barzani stated, “Peshmerga’s bravery allows church bells to ring for the first time in two years in the Nineveh Plain.”

“Kurdistan symbolizes unparalleled peaceful and religious co-existence and remains undeterred despite recent challenges and threats,” he added.

“Our safe haven remains intact even as ethnic violence, and sectarianism plagues the neighborhood,” Chancellor Barzani concluded.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany