Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al Zaidi has appealed to Christians living abroad to return to Iraq, describing their homecoming as a national priority and pledging government support to help rebuild the country’s historic Christian presence.
During a meeting with Chaldean Patriarch Paul III Nona, al Zaidi said that Christian families who return would be eligible for Iraq’s one-million residential land plot initiative. He emphasized that Iraq’s strength lies in its ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity, calling Christians “an active and essential component” of society whose contributions have shaped the nation’s past and will remain vital to its future.
The prime minister also invited Christian entrepreneurs and investors in the diaspora to participate in Iraq’s reconstruction, particularly in the healthcare and education sectors. He pledged continued government support to help ensure the success of these investment projects, stimulate economic growth, and generate employment.
Patriarch Nona welcomed the initiative, saying it sends a strong message of reassurance to Iraqi Christians abroad, strengthens confidence in the country’s future, and encourages business leaders to contribute to the country’s development.
Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Nicodemus Matti Sharaf also welcomed the appeal, describing it as an official recognition of Christians’ rightful place in their ancestral homeland. However, he cautioned that symbolic invitations alone would not reverse decades of emigration.