Russian Kurds call parties to unite for independent Kurdistan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan independence referendum can be successful only if Kurdish parties unite and speak in one voice, said a Kurd present at the Stavropol meeting on Tuesday.

Kurdistan–Russia Friendship Association held an event in the city of Stavropol with the representatives of Kurds in the region. One of the topics that were discussed during the meeting was the independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region.

“We have seen that the President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani has called for an independence referendum. We call all Kurdish parties to get united for the cause,” Shakli Hamdi, a participant of the meeting, told Kurdistan24.

Hamdi mentioned that achieving independence will be easier for Kurds if they are united.

Zarifa Ramazan, a Kurdish activist woman who also participated in the meeting, touched upon the history of Kurds and mentioned that Kurdish people should not forget the past and work for Kurdish rights hand in hand.

In the beginning of 2014, President Barzani called on holding an independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region that planned to be held by the end of 2016. “The people of the Kurdistan Region have the right to decide on their future,” he said.

Another topic that was discussed during the meeting was the Kurdish language. The participants called on Kurds in the diaspora to protect Kurdish culture and educate their children in the Kurdish language.

“Many of us forgot some Kurdish words after we migrate to Russia,” Qalam Sado, a Kurdish teacher told Kurdistan24. “If we don’t speak Kurdish, our children will forget the language. What will happen to our grandchildren?”

Stavropol Krai is one of the federal regions located in the southwestern of Russia. Unofficial data show there are over 15,000 Kurds living in the region.

Editing by Ava Homa

(Additional reporting by Khoshawi Mohammed)