US Congressman: ‘Kurds’ desire for independence must be respected’

WASHINGTON, United States (Kurdistan24) – A US Congressman recently agreed that Kurds share an important relationship with the United States and their desire for independence must be recognized.

Peter Roskam, US Congressman for Illinois’ sixth congressional district, spoke to Kurdistan24 about Kurdish independence, the Iranian conflict, and the upcoming US Presidential election.

Roskam said that the US values its “relationship” with the Kurds and that their future must be arranged.

“The Kurds are our friends, this is a group of people that we want to continue to have a strong relationship [with],” he stated.

“Kurdistan’s future needs to be sorted out by all the interested parties, and there’s got to be a deep respect for the peoples’ desire to live freely,” Roskam added.

The Republican Congressman also said that Kurdistan’s independence must be “discussed and negotiated” with others in the region so that Kurdish people can “enjoy the same type of rights and liberties that everybody else does.”

Moreover, Roskam addressed the issue of Iran in the Middle East stating that the country is “being provocative” in the region.

“It was a mistake to make the Iranian nuclear deal, in my opinion, because it’s not going to restrain the Iranians,” he said.

“They are still the world’s largest state-sponsor of terror, they want to be aggressive against their neighbors…they’re using terror to assert themselves,” Roskam argued.

He also discussed the upcoming US Presidential election and said that electing Hillary Clinton would be a “bad idea.”

“We cannot be a weak nation, we cannot have a weak military or a weak economy, and the United States is a country that the rest of the world looks to sometimes for answers and for help,” Roskam stated.

“We’ve got to be prepared to be able to stand strong for the values that America holds dear. In my opinion, [Clinton] has not been a good Secretary of State,” he concluded.

(Kurdistan24 team in Washington, DC conducted the interview)