Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani received, on Thursday, a group of Iraqi expatriates from the Christian community in Michigan, USA.
He welcomed the attendees, highlighting the high sense of patriotism and strong attachment to their homeland among Iraqi Christians. He affirmed that the government views all components of society with fairness and without discrimination and works to address the negative effects of terrorism that target all Iraqis, aiming to dismantle social cohesion and create divisions among the community.
The Prime Minister also noted that the fight against ISIS united all Iraqis who stood together to thwart terrorist plans. He reiterated that the government's mission focuses on creating reasons for the return of expatriates, especially the Christian community, and continues efforts to enhance harmony among all components in the areas needing reconstruction, which were destroyed by terrorism. He mentioned that the government has taken several measures and decisions to serve and address the conditions of Christians in their areas.
Key points from the Prime Minister's speech included:
The war against terrorism disrupted development and delayed reconstruction efforts, which was a challenge faced by the government.
Our government took responsibility under exceptional circumstances and focused on erasing the impact of delayed service delivery across Iraq.
We approved the establishment of a fund for the reconstruction of Sinjar and the Nineveh Plain, and efforts continue to stabilize the population and provide them with services.
We presented several projects in the Nineveh Plain Reconstruction Fund to serve those areas, and since Tilkaif and Hamdaniya were outside the fund's scope, we presented a package of service projects for them.
We presented a draft international crimes law, laws to protect diversity, and a strategy to criminalize and combat hate speech and racism, providing reassurance to all Iraqi components.
We aim to preserve the cultural and religious diversity, which is a source of social richness for Iraq.
We invite Iraqi Christian businessmen to participate in the development movement across Iraq.
Baghdad and all of Iraq are witnessing unprecedented development and commercial activity, and we invite businessmen to invest in the fields of hospitality, restaurants, and shopping centers.
There is a targeted narrative against the situation in Iraq to distort the image of the state and government, attempting to hinder state-building and destabilize stability.
The Iraqi expatriate community has an important responsibility to clarify the images of peaceful coexistence in Iraq among all components and the historical depth of this coexistence.