Kurdistan independence 'inevitable,' timing depends on Baghdad: Kurdish official
“This is an overreaction to a step that has been very democratic,” he said, describing responses from opposing parties in Baghdad, Ankara, and Tehran as “over-exaggerated.”
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A top Kurdish official on Wednesday reiterated that independence for the Kurdistan Region is “inevitable,” and the timing depends on the political will in Baghdad.
In an interview with the BBC, Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) Falah Mustafa looked to temper reactions to Monday’s referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region.
“I believe that instead of military drills, we need diplomatic engagement,” Mustafa said, referring to the ongoing joint military exercises by Iraqi and Turkish forces on the Region’s border.
He questioned why there were threats of force when the people of Kurdistan ask “for peace” and their “democratic rights.”
“This [referendum on independence] is not a threat. We do not understand why these drills are taking place,” the Kurdish official said.
Mustafa echoed the Kurdish leadership’s stance that the referendum was not a declaration of war, rather a “declaration of peace.”
“This is an overreaction to a step that has been very democratic,” he said, describing responses from opposing parties in Baghdad, Ankara, and Tehran as “over-exaggerated.”
The head of DFR said the ball was now in Baghdad’s court, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) would remain “flexible and open.”
“The timeframe [for independence] will depend on negotiations with Baghdad. A reasonable timeframe would be more or less one year,” Mustafa asserted.
He added that Kurdish officials are hoping to find political will in Baghdad to “sit at the negotiation table” and “address the issues of natural resources, borders,” among others.
“We are not the first, and we will not be the last nation to seek independence,” Mustafa stated. “Kurdistan will be a shining model of democracy, tolerance in this part of the world which is in turmoil and volatile.”
“The Kurdistan Region will remain an island of stability,” he concluded.
An independent state of Kurdistan has been the long-awaited aspiration of over 40 million stateless Kurds around the world.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany