ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - On Mother Language Day, President Nechirvan Barzani said on Saturday that Kurdistan is the “cradle” of diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural communities, where people coexist in harmony.
“We are proud that the Kurdistan Region is a cradle of diversity, where different ethnic, religious, and cultural communities coexist,” President Barzani stated.
He added, “Preserving the mother tongue is preserving Kurdistan’s rich identity and history."
"We reiterate our commitment to promoting the mother tongue for all - from Kurdish to the languages of ethnic communities, including Turkmen, Syriac, and Armenian," he added.
Since 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognized February 21 as Mother Language Day.
For his part, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also wished the people of the Kurdistan Region a happy Mother Language Day.
"The Kurdistan Region is a source of pride, and rich in diverse languages and cultures, where all communities are free to speak and learn in their mother tongue."
The day holds particular significance for Kurdish speakers, for whom language is a central element of cultural identity. UNESCO emphasizes that “to foster sustainable development, learners must have access to education in their mother tongue and in other languages.”
Kurdish, the 59th most widely spoken language in the world, is used across the four regions of Kurdistan - in parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Global Kurdish populations are estimated at over 30 million, with about half residing in Turkey, six million in Iran, more than five million in Iraq, and fewer than two million in Syria prior to the civil war. Significant Kurdish diaspora communities also live in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, and across Europe and North America.
Surrounded by larger Arab, Turkish, and Persian populations, Kurds have historically faced challenges in preserving their language, which is classified as Indo-European. In Iraq, Kurdish is officially recognized as the country’s second language, and the Kurdistan Regional Government uses it as the language of education and governance.
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