Salahadin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, (Krp.org)- President Masoud Barzani received a delegation from the Holy See headed by the apostolic nuncio to Jordan and Iraq, Mr. Alberto Ortega Martin. The Vatican representative began by conveying the greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis to President Barzani and expressed his gratefulness, on behalf of the Vatican state for Kurdistan's treatment of the Christian IDPs who have escaped the brutality and cruelty of the terrorists of the Islamic State.

President Barzani spoke of the the current state of war against the terrorists and added that the end result will most certainly be the defeat of the terrorists and victory for the free world. He also spoke of the refugees and IDPs in the Kurdistan Region whose number is well over 1.5 million persons and how the Kurdistan Region will continue to protect them and provide them with assistance. During the meeting President Barzani stated that peaceful coexistence in the Kurdistan Region is an inseparable part of the culture here and cited examples of villages where historically Muslims, Christians and Jews have lived together peacefully.

The President made reference to the liberation of the city of Mosul and how that operation will be the most crucial military operation against the terrorists as their presence in Mosul poses a threat to, not only those who live inside the city but also those who are from the surrounding areas, hence the extraordinarily large number of IDPs in the Kurdistan Region. The meeting was concluded by President Barzani sending his heartfelt greetings to Pope Francis and asking for his prayers for a more peaceful world.