KRP: Hoisting Kurdistan flag in Kirkuk a “Normal and Legal” issue

Erbil (BasNews) Kurdistan Region Presidency (KRP) stated that raising the Kurdistan flag in Kirkuk is a normal and lawful move.

In a statement released on Wednesday, KRP says raising the Kurdistan flag in Kirkuk province is a legal and normal issue, arguing that it is similar to raising the Iraqi flag across the city.

Kirkuk provincial council voted on Tuesday in favour of the decision by governor Najmaddin Karim to install the Kurdistan flag alongside the Iraqi flag on the government buildings in the city.

“Kurdistan flag has existed in Kirkuk since the fall of Baath regime in 2003, particularly after the Islamic State’s (IS) emergence [in Iraq] and it was this flag which protected the city from the threats of terrorists,” the KRP statement reads.

The issue of raising the Kurdistan flag should not be enlarged and led into conflicts among the entities and factions of the city, the statement continues, urging all sides to avoid using the issue for political interests.

The culture of coexistence, brotherhood and tolerance needs to be further promoted among the components of Kirkuk as “Peshmerga and Kurdistan flag” equally protected all the city’s population regardless of their ethnicity.