PM Barzani expresses support for ‘legitimate Christian demands’ in disputed territories

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Monday expressed his government’s support for the legitimate Christian demands in the areas outside the authority of Iraq’s Kurdistan regional government.

Barzani’s remarks came during his meeting with a delegation of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and Chaldean Community Foundation in Erbil, according to a government statement.

The premier told the delegation that Kurdistan Region is the “homeland” of all the diverse ethnic and religious components, stressing the need for cooperation to deepen the culture of peaceful coexistence, the readout noted.

He also expressed his government’s support for the “legitimate” demands of the Christian population as well as other components in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains and the areas outside the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) jurisdiction.

President of Chaldean Community Foundation Martin Manna briefed Barzani on the work of his establishment as well as of the chamber of commerce both in the United States, Kurdistan Region, and the Nineveh Plains.

The delegation also expressed their willingness to actively participate in the reconstruction and development of the Kurdistan Region.

Barzani on Sunday received a delegation from the Chaldean Federation International in Erbil.

Thousands of Christians from the Nineveh Plains and other Iraqi provinces sought shelter in Kurdistan Region following the emergence of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq, which had controlled a third of the country between 2014-2017.