Barzani: Iraqi FM put obstacles in KRG Washington summit participation

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Region President said that the Iraqi Foreign Ministry created obstacles for the Region’s representative to be present in the anti-Islamic State (IS) summit in Washington.

Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, published a statement on his official Facebook account regarding the matter.

“The Peshmerga forces with their bravery and sacrifices have drastically weakened the terrorists and have proven once again that they are an essential anti-terror force in the region,” President Barzani began.

“In spite of this very obvious fact, the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs recently created obstacles for a Kurdish representative to be present in the last anti-IS summit in Washington,” he added.

“This is only one example of many where people of the Kurdistan Region and their aspirations are deliberately neglected in accordance to the personal mood of certain individuals,” Barzani continued.

The President warned that “this type of treatment cannot be accepted” and that Kurds need their sovereignty “where we are able to determine our fate.”

Barzani revealed that the Kurdistan Region has to face two choices as people of the Region have paid a heavy price in the war against IS terrorists and following all these tragedies and sacrifices, we are now faced with two choices:

“Accepting the status quo where others determine our fate while we march backward, or to make a collective decision and take serious steps towards sovereignty and independence,” Barzani said.

Barzani concluded that “with the aid of His Almighty and the will of the people of the Kurdistan Region, it will become clear to us in the near future who would rather trail behind, obeying the orders of others and who would choose sovereignty.”

On July 20, the Pledging Conference in Support of Iraq was held in Washington DC bringing together Foreign and Defense Ministers of 24 members of the coalition against IS, while an official invitation of the Kurdistan Region representative was not extended.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa