Iraqi prime minister: “Christians, one of the most authentic members of the Country”
"Christians represent one of the most authentic components of Iraq, and it saddens us to see them leave the Country". With these words, new Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi, on behalf of the whole country, expressed bitterness and apprehension due to the silent exodus of Christian communities who for centuries have been living in the territories of ancient Mesopotamia.
The externalization of the new Prime Minister took place during his visit in Mosul and in the Province of Nineveh on Wednesday 10 June, six years after the jihadist militants of the Islamic State (Daesh) conquered the northern Iraqi metropolis.
During the visit, the Prime Minister had meetings with representatives of local Christian churches and communities, including the Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, Dominican Najib Mikhael Moussa. Chaldean Christian Evan Faeq Yakoub Jabro, recently appointed Minister for Refugees and Migrants in the government led by Mustafa al Kadhimi, was also included in the delegation that accompanied the Pime Minister on his trip to northern Iraq.
Al Kadhimi also visited the city of Bartella, 21 km east of Mosul, an urban center inhabited mostly by Christians before the occupation of Daesh, and which now sees the population component represented by the Shabaks grow.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Mosul and Bartella gave way to some local Christian representatives to re-express their considerations and concerns regarding the progressive alteration of the demographic balance that is taking place precisely in the Nineveh Plain, a region of historical roots of the indigenous Christian communities in the territories of present-day Iraq.
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Photo: Wikipedia
