PUK's Salar Mahmoud Visits Vatican to Expand Cultural and Research Cooperation

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PUK's Salar Mahmoud Visits Vatican’s Archives of Religions.

The Head of the The Foreign Relations Central Board of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) visited the Vatican’s Archives of Religions as part of a series of meetings aimed at strengthening academic, cultural and interfaith cooperation.

Salar Mahmoud, Head of the Foreign Relations Central Board, held discussions with Monsignor Flavio Bonomo, Director of the Archives, regarding mechanisms to support Kurdish students, researchers and cultural institutions in conducting studies on the history of ancient Mesopotamia and present-day Kurdistan.

The institution preserves manuscripts and archives covering five centuries of world history and the Mesopotamian region. Documents are made available to academics and researchers after a period of 75 years.

During his visit to the Vatican, Salar Mahmoud also toured the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue, where he was received by Monsignor Charbel Atallah, the Institute’s Middle East and Asia Desk Officer.

During the meeting, Mahmoud highlighted the importance of coexistence among peoples and the promotion of peace, stating: “The Kurdish people, and the PUK in particular, firmly believe in peace and coexistence among all communities, especially their genuine participation and representation in the political process, as well as the protection of their civil and political rights in accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws.”

Monsignor Charbel praised the people of Kurdistan for their tolerance and their support for Christians and other communities in Iraq.

For his part, Mahmoud stressed that Kurdistan is the cradle of civilisation and humanity, noting that its people had endured persecution and injustice in the past. He referred to the Anfal campaigns carried out by the former Ba’athist regime against Kurdistan, during which all communities in the region, including Christians, were subjected to acts of genocide.

On the same day, Salar Mahmoud also met Iraq’s Ambassador to the Vatican, Ammar Mohammed. Discussions focused on facilitating access for students, researchers and cultural organisations seeking to conduct research and academic work at the Vatican.


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