Bulgarian PM: President Barzani discussed Kurdistan referendum with us

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Bulgaria has not voiced a formal opinion on the independence referendum of the Kurdistan Region, said a senior Bulgarian official on Friday.

“Bulgaria has not expressed an official position on the upcoming referendum on the independence of [the Kurdistan Region],” Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov told the Parliament in response to a question about a meeting with the President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani.

The question was raised by the Bulgarian Member of Parliament Elena Yoncheva from the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).

“The meeting I held with Mr. Masoud Barzani on May 25 was part of the efforts of the President of [Kurdistan] to present to the international community the idea for a referendum on the proclamation of a new independent state,” Borisov said.

“His visit to Sofia was part of his international tour,” the Bulgarian PM explained.

“We did not take a stance on the referendum, he just wanted to present it to us, and we listened to him,” he continued.

Borisov added any expression of support for a Kurdish independence referendum “should be done by the Parliament of Bulgaria.”

He also mentioned the EU and Bulgaria’s view favors that both the governments in Erbil and Baghdad overcome their differences to cooperate and combat terrorism.

In a meeting on Wednesday, chaired by President Barzani, the political parties in Kurdistan decided to hold an independence referendum on Sep. 25, 2017.

Kurds have been patient in their ambition to establish an independent Kurdish state.

Moreover, a sovereign Kurdish state will secure their rights and put an end to the historical oppression against the people of the Kurdistan Region.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany