Bishops to PM Barzani: Kurdistan Region is the only place in Iraq where Christians live in peace

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani poses in Erbil with Christian leaders, Sept. 25, 2021. (Photo: KRG)
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani poses in Erbil with Christian leaders, Sept. 25, 2021. (Photo: KRG)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A delegation of Christian bishops in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq's disputed and religiously-diverse Nineveh Plains met with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Erbil on Saturday.  

At the meeting, Barzani discussed the situation of members of various Christian communities in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq with the visiting dignitaries, according to a press release issued by his office.

The delegation of the bishops commended the experience of peaceful coexistence in the Kurdistan Region, and also pointed out that the Kurdistan Region "is the only place in Iraq and the wider region where Christians live in peace and with protected rights."

The delegation also praised the role of the Prime Minister in supporting the rights of components, implementing government reforms, and overcoming crises.

The Prime Minister reiterated his support for the Kurdistan Regional Government to establish a culture of tolerance, values ​​of peaceful coexistence, religious freedom, and respect for human rights.

In mid-September, Kurdish statesman Masoud Barzani stressed the importance of religious coexistence and tolerance in the autonomous Kurdistan Region as he received the new patriarch of the Assyrian Eastern Church at his office in Erbil.

Read More: New Eastern Assyrian Church patriarch thanks Masoud Barzani 'for supporting and protecting coexistence and harmony'

According to a government statement, the Kurdish leader discussed various issues of the day with Patriarch Mar Awa III and his accompanying delegation, which consisted of bishops and clergy.