Shafaq News/ The president of the Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday, called for protecting and promoting the Kurdish language and the diversity of cultures in the region.

"On the International Mother Language Day, we reaffirm our commitment to protecting and promoting the Kurdish language and the mother tongue of all components, and to promoting linguistic and cultural diversity in Kurdistan, and the right to education and freedom of mother tongue everywhere," President Barzani said in a post on his Facebook page.

"On this occasion, we remember with reverence all those who served the Kurdish language and the mother tongue of all communities in Kurdistan. Congratulations to those who continue this sacred service to preserve the most important ethnicity and the basis of national and cultural identity, which is the mother tongue."

The International Mother Language Day is celebrated annually on February 21st to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

It was first proclaimed by UNESCO on November 17, 1999, and was then officially adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The year 2008 was also declared the International Year of Languages.