Barzani, Assyrian Patriarch Discuss Religious Coexistence in Kurdistan Region

Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and a former president of the Kurdistan Region, met on Sunday with Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Gewargis III of the Assyrian Church of the East and a religious delegation that included bishops representing the Assyrian church from different parts of the world. Barzani currently holds no official government post but remains a prominent political figure in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.

According to a statement published on the KDP leader’s website, the two sides discussed the current political turmoil in Iraq and the wider Middle East. The talks focused on religious acceptance in the world and on the need for brotherly respect between people, regardless of their religion or ethnic background.

The discussions also covered the Kurdistan Region’s practice of religious tolerance. The statement said both sides highlighted the autonomous Kurdish region as one of the few areas in the Middle East that has accepted religious equality throughout its history, despite the presence of various fundamentalist groups in the region.

Gewargis III and his delegation of bishops thanked Barzani for his efforts and his role in maintaining peace among the different ethnic communities in the Kurdistan Region. They also recognized his work in promoting religious acceptance and tolerance, a role that the source describes as a continuing effort toward peace between neighbors (Matthew 5:9).

The source reports the meeting through the KDP statement and does not include separate comment from the Assyrian Church of the East.

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