President of Kurdistan receives delegation from the first Conference of the 'Friends of Bartalah'

President of Kurdistan-Region Massoud Barzani received a delegation to the first Conference of the 'Friends of Bartalah' region in Iraq.

At the beginning of the meeting, the members of the delegation thanked Mr Barzani for the opportunity and meeting with him. Then it introduced the work and objectives of the conference and pointed out the problems and dilemmas facing Christians in Iraq in the Bartalah region and across Nineveh.

Members of the delegation also expressed their concern about the demographic change to areas inhabited by Christians and one of the most important goals of the conference is achieving a solution to that problem. After referring to his role in the installation of religious and national minority rights in the Iraqi Constitution, the conference appealed to Mr Barzani for helping the area for nature conservation.

They also expressed their thanks to the citizens and the Kurdistan Regional Government and Peshmerga forces about their role in protecting and assisting Christians and other components.

For his part, after welcoming the delegation and wishes for the success of the conference, Mr Barzani noted that a culture of tolerance and coexistence are rooted and historical in Kurdistan.

On the problems of the Nineveh plain areas, Mr Barzani said, "in the absence of stability and security that all components become targets for those citizens who leave their areas and are looking for safe havens, and modesty once felt safe and secure to these areas," he said, "but if the migration and demographic change taking place in an organized area, it will not be accepted and must be faced."

On the problems of citizens in Bartalah, Mr Barzani said the majority of these areas to provide services and the interest in them has been marginalized and unable to assist in administrative territory, but with this he affirmed that the territory's doors are "open to Iraqi citizens and their embrace of any religion or nationality in which they were."