On Friday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani congratulated President Masoud Barzani on his being appointed a Knight of the Order of Pius by Pope Leo XIV.

“The presentation of this prestigious medal to Your Excellency is recognition of your distinguished role in protecting the rights of the various components in Kurdistan and Iraq,” President Nechirvan Barzani said.

“This honor is a source of pride for the Kurdistan Region and recognition of its culture of coexistence, mutual acceptance, and tolerance as defining characteristics of Kurdish society, as well as of the human values of our people, to which they have always remained committed and dedicated to preserving.”

He also affirmed that the Kurdistan Region “will always remain a peaceful homeland for all its components, committed to protecting diversity and the rights and freedoms of everyone, and to strengthening the values of peace, coexistence, and mutual respect.”

On Thursday, President Masoud Barzani received Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the former Chaldean Patriarch, during which the Cardinal bestowed the Catholic Church’s highest honor upon President Barzani.