President Barzani backs Kurdish and minority languages
Shafaq News- Erbil
President Nechirvan Barzani on Saturday reaffirmed support for promoting mother tongues across Iraqi Kurdistan, including Kurdish and the languages of Turkmen, Syriac, and Armenian communities.
On X, Barzani marked International Mother Language Day, saying the Region remains a center of ethnic, religious, linguistic, and cultural diversity. “Preserving mother tongues safeguards identity, history, and the future of Kurdistan.”
لە ڕۆژی جیهانیی زمانی دایکدا، شانازی دەکەین کە هەرێمی کوردستان لانکەی فرەیی و پێکەوەژیانی پێکهاته نهتهوهیی و ئایینی و زمان و کولتوورە جیاوازەکانە.پابەندیمان بە برهوپێدان و پێشخستنی زمانی دایک بۆ هەمووان دووپات دەکەینەوە؛ لە زمانی کوردییەوە تا زمانی پێکهاتە نەتەوەیییەکان…
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) February 21, 2026
Kurdish has been Iraq’s second official language since 2005 and is spoken by an estimated 30 to 40 million people across the region. Academics in the Kurdistan Region recently called for stronger integration of the language into digital platforms. In a seminar in Al-Sulaymaniyah this week, they examined barriers limiting the language’s online use and urged institutions to develop technical tools to support it in education and media.
Read more: Forgotten language: Kurdish sidelined in Iraqi curriculum
