Kurds have right to declare independence

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Every nation has the right to have an independent state based on the principles of international laws, the President of Abkhazia said on Tuesday.

In an interview with Kurdistan24, the President of Abkhazia Raul Khajimba said that the Kurdish role in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) should not be disregarded, regardless of whether Western countries acknowledge it or not.

Kurdish Peshmerga have been one of the most efficient ground forces in the fight against IS, sharing over 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) of its border with jihadists in the south of the Kurdistan Region.

Khajimba pointed out that Kurds, like any other nation in the world, deserve to have their independent state.

“There is no doubt that all nations have the right to self-determination, especially if the region’s requirements coincide with international laws,” he said.

Abkhazia is an independent state located to the northwest of Georgia and formally declared their independence in 1999.

Following the Georgian-Russian war in 2008, Moscow officially recognized Abkhazia as a country, although it is a state lacking universal international recognition.

President Khajimba mentioned that establishing any state in violation of international laws is wrong.

He also noted that Abkhazia has no restrictions in cooperating and developing its relations with all countries in the world. 

“We look forward to building relationships with those nations that strive for statehood,” the Abkhazian President concluded.

Since 2014, the President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani has pushed the case for an independence referendum. He has called on the Kurdistan Region Parliament to make preparations to hold the referendum by the end of 2016.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
(Khoshawi Mohamad conducted the interview in Abkhazia)