Kurdistan delegation discuss independence referendum with foreign consuls in Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – A Kurdish delegation on Sunday will meet with the foreign consuls and diplomats in Erbil to discuss the Kurdistan independence referendum.

Kurdistan24 learned the gathering consists of both leading Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The Kurdish delegates consist of Former Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq Rozh Nouri Shawes, Former Foreign Affairs and Finance Minister of Iraq Hoshyar Zebari, Chief of Staff of the Kurdistan Region Presidency Fuad Hussein, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Qubad Talabani, Senior Assistant to President Barzani Hemin Hawrami, and head of the Kurdistan Region Foreign Relations Department Falah Mustafa among many other officials.

There are over 30 foreign consulates and representative offices in the Kurdistan Region, including the United Nations’ five veto countries.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has a representation office in over 14 different countries around the world.

Recently, a Kurdish delegation headed by Hussein visited Baghdad and discussed the referendum with Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani has repeatedly pushed the long-awaited Kurdish aspiration for independence forward.

He stated a referendum was the natural right of the people of the Kurdistan Region to decide on their future.

The Region aims to hold peaceful dialogues with Baghdad and neighboring countries to explain that Kurdistan independence is not a threat to the security and stability of the region.

So far, the exact date of the referendum has not been set, but according to the senior KDP figures, it will be held within 2017.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany