Kurdistan Region will hold independence referendum this year: officials
Kurdish people holding Kurdistan Region’s flag.
Erbil (BasNews) The Kurdistan Region of Iraq will hold an independence referendum this year through which Kurds will decide on their future, Kurdish officials say.
Hoshyar Zebari, former Iraqi Finance and Foreign minister, told BasNews the people of Kurdistan Region will decide on their future through an independence referendum which will take place in 2017.
Zebari, who is a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) politburo, also stated that the people of Kurdistan need to make this historic decision at this stage.
Moreover, Arif Rushdi, an advisor to the KDP politburo, revealed to BasNews “a referendum [on independence] in the Kurdistan Region is expected to be held this year,” stating that the outcome of the referendum will determine the desire of the people for independence.
Rushdi called on the international organizations and the United Nations to oversee the referendum.
He added that the referendum topic will be discussed with the UN delegation which is set to visit Erbil on Thursday.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Baghdad on Thursday and he is expected to head to Erbil on the same day where he is set to meet with the Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani also said earlier this month that the Kurdistan Region will hold a referendum on independence in 2017.
In an interview with the American Philly website, Barzani said “there will be a referendum this year. No question,” noting that “the outcome doesn’t mean we will immediately embark but it will show the international community what the population wants.”