Referendum is not an independence declaration: Kurdistan FM

CAIRo – 25 September 2017: “It is the most historic day in my life,” Foreign Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Falah Mustafa said on Monday.

Falah told Egypt Today that he is “proud and privileged to vote YES in today's historic referendum on Kurdistan's independence.”

“It is an unforgettable moment in my life,” Falah added a few minutes after casting his YES vote.

Regarding escalations taken by neighboring countries such as Turkey and Iran, Falah stressed that “this is a domestic issue between Erbil and Baghdad. Some countries have overreacted to our domestic affairs.”

“The referendum is not a declaration of independence; it is just a beginning to start the independence process,” Falah explained.

Falah pointed out that the approval of the referendum “represents a mandate from the Kurdistan people to KRG to go forward with negotiations with the Baghdad government.”

Voting in the historic referendum kicked off Monday morning in northern Iraq, where millions of Kurds are determined to vote for independence despite international demands to call it off and fears of violence and instability.

A war of words has continued since the Kurdish independence referendum was set; however, in the past few weeks, the rhetoric has intensified as it became increasingly likely that the referendum would take place.

On Monday, Iraqi Kurds decide for themselves. The results of the referendum are expected to be announced within 72 hours following the end of the vote.