Assyrian and Chaldean patriarchs meet with Kurdistan officials to secure community’s future

ANKAWA, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — This week, two patriarchs representing the Churches of the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people held high-level discussions with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials, pressing for measures to protect their community’s cultural integrity, political representation, and social welfare.

On Tuesday, Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Mar Louis Raphaël I Sako, received Bshinwan Saeed Sadiq, Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs, at the patriarchal compound in Ankawa. Patriarch Sako urged tighter regulation — and relocation — of entertainment venues away from predominantly Christian neighborhoods, arguing that the unchecked proliferation of nightlife had strained the social fabric of these communities. The two also explored strategies to ensure that the region’s upcoming elections feature competent Christian candidates capable of defending minority rights in both the Kurdistan Parliament and national legislature.

The following morning, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East Mar Awa III Royel welcomed Rami Siyawuch, a member of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament. Their in-depth conversation centered on Ankawa’s administrative status and the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades, expanded social services and heritage-sensitive urban planning. “Preserving Ankawa’s unique identity is a shared responsibility,” Mar Awa said in a joint statement. “Only through sustained cooperation between civil authorities and religious institutions can we safeguard our legacy.”