In a message of solidarity and goodwill, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani extended his greetings to the Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac communities on the occasion of Akitu, the Assyrian New Year. The prime minister hoped that the new year would bring peace, security, prosperity, and an end to the suffering of the people.

PM Barzani acknowledged the peaceful coexistence among religious and ethnic communities as one of the bright aspects of the Kurdistan Region. The festival, which marks the rebirth of nature, has been celebrated for nearly 7,000 years by Chaldean, Assyrians, and Syriacs worldwide. Members of these communities, dressed in traditional clothes, organize social gatherings and events to celebrate the day.

Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are home to thousands of Christians who have suffered from numerous atrocities, the most recent being in 2014 at the hands of the so-called Islamic State, mainly in the Nineveh Plains. The Kurdistan Region has been a sanctuary for the displaced and has provided them with safety, peace, and freedom from oppression.