KRG Minister Ano Jawher Raises Minority Protection Concerns in Washington Talks
Meetings at the U.S. State Department focus on Christian representation, the Yazidi plight, and international safeguards.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Kurdistan Region Minister of Transport and Communications Ano Jawher held a series of high-level meetings in Washington, D.C., during an official visit to the United States, placing strong emphasis on the status of Iraq’s religious and ethnic components and the need for sustained international protection and political representation for vulnerable minorities.
As part of the visit, Jawher met with Dalia Turski, Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of State, where discussions centered on the protection and political representation of the Christian community in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. The issue was treated as a core topic amid continuing concerns over minority rights, security, and constitutional guarantees.
Jawher also highlighted the broader challenges facing Iraq’s religious and ethnic components, with particular focus on the humanitarian, security, and legal conditions confronting the Yazidi community following years of displacement and targeted violence.
Both sides stressed the importance of upholding principles of religious freedom, safeguarding minority rights, and strengthening a culture of peaceful coexistence. The meeting underscored the necessity of sustained dialogue between relevant stakeholders to reach long-term, structural solutions to the problems facing Iraq’s diverse components.
In a post on his X account, Jawher said the Washington meetings included engagements with various U.S. officials, noting that talks at the State Department addressed “the protection and representation of the Christian community in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, along with related concerns affecting other vulnerable minority groups, including our beloved Yazidi brothers and sisters.”
He added that the discussions reaffirmed the importance of religious freedom, minority protections, peaceful coexistence, and continued dialogue.
The Kurdistan Region has long been viewed as a relative haven for Iraq’s religious and ethnic minorities, particularly after the rise of ISIS in 2014, when hundreds of thousands of Christians, Yazidis, and other communities fled violence in other parts of the country.
Despite security improvements, many minority groups in Iraq continue to face unresolved issues related to political representation, return of displaced families, property restitution, and accountability for past crimes.
The Yazidi community, in particular, remains deeply affected by the aftermath of the ISIS genocide, with thousands still missing and large numbers living in displacement camps. Meanwhile, Christian communities continue to voice concerns over demographic change, limited political influence, and security vulnerabilities in disputed and federal areas.
Jawher, who serves as a designated representative of the Christian community in the Kurdistan Region’s ninth cabinet, has played an active role in conveying minority concerns to international decision-making centers.
His Washington meetings come at a time when Iraq’s components are increasingly calling for stronger international engagement to ensure the implementation of constitutional rights and durable protections amid ongoing political and security uncertainties across the country.