ERBIL - Chancellor of Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC), Masrour Barzani, has sent a congratulatory message to Christians on the occasion of Christmas, wishing them "peace and joy" in the coming year.

"I wish Christians in Kurdistan, Iraq and across the world celebrating the birth of Jesus a safe and blessed Christmas," Barzani said in an online statement on his Facebook feed.

He further hailed the prolonged coexistence in the Kurdistan Region, and how it brings people to build and share a common future regardless of their faith and ethnic backgrounds.

"On this occasion, as families come together to celebrate the values Jesus taught and lived by, we honor those who put their lives on the line to defend Kurdistan. Our co-existence brings people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds to share a common future," the top Kurdish security official continued.

He reminded that Kurdistan Region has always been a home for all divers ethnic groups and religious minorities in the area.

"For generations, and in the last fifteen years in particular, Kurdistanis have welcomed into their homes the poor and the hungry, the persecuted and the displaced in a way that makes us truly special in a divided region. That's what makes us strong, and that's the spirit that should guide us during this holiday."

"On behalf of my family and colleagues in the Kurdistan Region Security Council, Merry Christmas to you all. I wish you peace and joy in the years to come," Barzani concluded.

Bas News