Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said on Friday that Iraq is not witnessing a "political blockage" in the wake of the last parliamentary elections last October.
Al-Kadhimi said in a speech at the Christmas mass at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Baghdad, "On Christmas Day, the sound of war stops, and we must continue to create hope. God created human beings as peoples, tribes, and religions, and Iraq is a collector of these many components, and we must preserve this Iraqi heritage."
He added, "We are united in this holy day, the memory of the birth of our Christ, a prophet of Christians and Muslims," adding, "We were united previously in confronting terrorism and terrorist organizations, and we are united today in celebrating the Christmas Day."
"In that spirit, His Holiness the Pope visited Iraq, which confirmed the symbolic and spiritual importance of our Country. Furthermore, this visit raised the interest of the whole world in Iraq as a home of religions, from Abraham (PBUH) to our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)."
He stated that "this Country possesses real wealth, which is the religious and cultural diversity, and the Iraqis should make it a source of strength. Some countries spend billions of dollars to create diversity, so we must invest it in a way that supports Iraq's national, regional and international standing."
"During the last year and a half, my government had to work to advance all the forces with all their good components to support the spiritual and national renaissance of the Iraqi society, to restore cohesion, and to strengthen its regional and international position."
The Prime Minister affirmed, "Our Christian people and the solidarity of the clergy and Christian leaders with other components had an essential role in strengthening this position."
Al-Kadhimi said, "We succeeded in taking the Iraq name all the way, setting the first foundational steps for economic reform, and holding successful and fair elections in a record period, in addition to launching reconstruction and economic cooperation projects with countries in the region."
"We affirm, we can not imagine forming the identity of Iraqis without Christians, and all the other components."
"I do not believe that there is a political blockage, there were elections, and there are challenges we face...There is no choice but dialogue. It is the solution to building a worthy future for Iraqis, and dialogue should be an opportunity for hope because Iraq is built through understanding."
Al-Kadhimi stressed, "Unfortunately, we hear those who say that the number of Christians in Iraq is constantly decreasing, so we must encourage Christians to stay in Iraq and contribute to building this country and the national identity, and to face challenges."
He said, "for the first time since 2003, Iraq's credit rating was raised by two degrees, and these are the results of the white paper for economic reform."
