British MP: ‘Britain recognizes Kurdish autonomy’

WASHINGTON, United States (Kurdistan24) – During a conference in Washington DC, a British Member of Parliament discussed implications of the upcoming referendum in Britain as well as the situation of Kurds in Iraq.

Tobias Ellwood, a Member of British Parliament and the UK Government Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, spoke to Kurdistan24 about the June 23 referendum.

“There is a lot happening at the moment, there is a lot of challenges that are taking place,” he said. “It is important that the British people have a say in the direction of travel that Britain has with the European Union.”

Ellwood revealed that he would want Britain to remain in the EU so that the country can “collectively” work with the Union to approach the various challenges.

“I do hope people will vote to support to remain inside the European Union [and] I hope that this referendum will prove that Britain is committed to a reformed EU,” the MP stated.

The UK Government Minister also touched upon the Kurds’ desire for independence and their upcoming referendum.

“I’m aware that this is being discussed in Kurdistan. My view is that you are in a difficult neighborhood, and you add value to Iraq,” he said.

“[Britain] have long been consistent in saying that we recognize your autonomy, we recognize the importance of your economy,” Ellwood added.

Peter Pennington, a UK citizen living in the US, explained that Britain leaving the EU would cause a domino effect on the other countries in the Union.

“If Britain were to leave, I think other countries would leave; I think Europe would start to fall apart,” he stated.

“I believe we should stay and…help modernize, change the European Union, make it more democratic, make it more transparent,” Pennington added.

Editing by Ava Homa

(Abbas Zangana conducted the interviews in Washington)