Russian Official: Syrians, Iraqis should decide their future

MOSCOW, Russia (Kurdistan24) – The sovereignty and territorial issues of Iraq and Syria should be addressed by the people of those countries, not by outsiders, said a Russian official on Tuesday.

In a statement submitted to Kurdistan24, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov stated that Russia supports the territorial unity in Iraq and Syria.

This is in contrast with what other Russian officials have said in support of independence.

The Kurdish referendum is one of the primary topics of discussion in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and is planned to be held in 2016, according to the President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani.

Bogdanov said that the people of Iraq and Syria should decide on their sovereignty and find a political solution.

Commenting on federalism in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), he mentioned that the people of Syria must decide what political system they want.

Recently, Russian Member of Parliament and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) Vladimir Zhirinovsky stated that Kurds of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region now have the opportunity to declare independence.

“Kurds have a golden opportunity in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to declare an independent state,” said Zhirinovsky, reiterating the support of his party, part of the Russian government, to the Kurds.

“Kurds have been trying to declare their independent state for 100 years. Europe promised them independence, but it has not been enacted due to the stance of Turkey,” Zhirinovsky added.

Also, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma (Parliament) Sergei Zheleznyak previously told Kurdistan24 that Kurds are one of the most efficient ground forces fighting Islamic State (IS) militants. As a result, he believes that the international community should consider the Kurds' political demands.

“Kurds deserve to receive their geographic right in Iraq, Syria and the Middle East,” he said.

Reporting by Mewan Dolamari
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa