Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius yesterday met with leaders of the Christian and Yezidi communities to convey his sympathy regarding the tragic events of the last few days.

After meetings with President Masoud Barzani and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, Foreign Minister Fabius visited the French Consulate General and French Institute, meeting with diplomats and the French community in Kurdistan. He was accompanied by the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, as well French Consul General Alain Guepratte.

The Foreign Minister then visited Ainkawa and met Bishop Bashar Matti Warda, of the Chaldean Archbishop of the Diocese of Erbil, and representatives of Christian families displaced from Mosul and elsewhere. He listened to the details of their suffering at the hands of terrorists and how they were forced to flee to avoid mass killing.

Foreign Minister Fabius then met with Yezidi representative Hazim Mir Tahsin Bag and with Baba Sheikh, the religious leader of the Yezidis. He expressed to the Yezidi leaders his government’s sympathy and condolences regarding the crimes committed against their people in Sinjar. The Yezidi representative described the tragedy caused by the terrorists.

On 8/8/2014 Dr. Yusif Muhammad Sadiq, Kurdistan parliament president, received UN representative in Erbil. Dr. Yusif explained the current events in Kurdistan; especially the war between Kurdish forces and the terrorist groups named ISIS, and also clarified the life condition of Izadis and Christians in Musil, Shangal, and Shekhan.

Regarding the Christian and Yazidi families who were forced to leave their living places, Dr. Yusif said, “I want UN to support those families as soon as possible because they live in a very difficult situation”. He added,” Terror is a serious threat not only for Kurdistan but for all the countries in the region; it has an international dimension now and is really dangerous for international community. For this reason international community should cooperate with Kurdish Peshmarga in order to beat terrorists.

Showing his pleasure for the meeting and the information given by Kurdistan parliament president, Sokol Kondi, the representative of UN in Erbil said, “We as UN in the Kurdistan region never ignore the current events in Kurdistan and do our best to give necessary assistance to the refugees”.