Kurdistan Proud of Its Culture of Coexistence: President of Kurdistan Region

The Kurdistan Region is proud of its culture of tolerance and coexistence, President Nechirvan Barzani said on Monday in a statement on Pope Francis's historic visit to Iraq and the autonomous region.

Barzani expressed gratitude and appreciation for Pope's visit to the region despite various challenges and risks related to the pandemic situation and ongoing security developments.

Pope Francis arrived in Baghdad on 5th March. On his third day in Iraq, the pontiff headed to Erbil, the capital city of Kurdistan Region, where he met with top Kurdish leaders and thanked them for protecting "all diverse components."

The Kurdish president thanked all religious and ethnic groups to have participated in the ceremonies and events organized for welcoming Pope Francis in Erbil on Sunday.

The Pope carried the message of peace, tolerance, and coexistence to the region.

Barzani reminded that the Kurdistan Region supports the Pope's message of "peace, tolerance, acceptance of others, erasure of hatred and rancor, militancy, terrorism, and retribution."

"These principles and values ​​are the main foundations of Kurdistan society and we preserve them as we always do," Barzani noted. "We hope that in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, in the spirit of these values, we will resolve the differences between us."

He also thanked the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and federal government for their cooperation in making this historic visit take place.