Ishtartv.com –presidency.gov.krd

June 15, 2026

President Nechirvan Barzani visited the Chaldean Cathedral of St. Joseph in Ankawa and was received by His Beatitude Mar Paulus III Nona, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, along with several prominent Christian religious leaders.

During their meeting, President Nechirvan Barzani warmly welcomed His Beatitude to Erbil, expressed his delight at the Patriarch’s visit to the Kurdistan Region, and congratulated him on his new role. The President reaffirmed his support for His Beatitude and the Church.

President Nechirvan Barzani emphasized that Christians are a vital and indigenous part of both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, playing a crucial role in the country’s history, present, and future. He reiterated that the Kurdistan Region will continue to be a pillar of peaceful coexistence, tolerance, and mutual respect among all religious and ethnic groups.

In response, His Beatitude the Patriarch expressed his gratitude to President Nechirvan Barzani for his visit to the church and commended the humanitarian and historical role of the Kurdistan Region in providing refuge and support to Christians and other communities during the ISIS attacks. He also praised the environment of harmonious coexistence in the Kurdistan Region.

The meeting, which was also attended by several ministers and officials from the Kurdistan Region, discussed the situation of Christians in Iraq and the region.