Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) – Kurdistan Regional Government Spokesperson Safeen Dizayee affirmed to the London-based organization Delegations For Dialogue that the announced independence referendum will be held on the 25th of September 2017.

He expressed his hope that the international community will not stand against the legitimate rights of the people of Kurdistan, who in the past century were subject to mass extermination campaigns and violent repressive policies. At that time, the international community neglected to speak up and take effective measures to prevent the crimes committed against this people.

“Now, it is time to correct historical mistakes”, he said, stressing that an independent Kurdistan would be a force of stability in the region.

On relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq’s Federal Government, Mr. Dizayee discussed the failure of the federal system in Iraq, stressing that Baghdad has continuously violated its constitutional obligations towards Kurdistan Region. It has withheld the Region’s share of the federal budget, and failed to meet the financial entitlements of the Kurdistan Peshmerga Forces. These severe measures where in place at a time when the Peshmerga were the first force on the ground to defeat the Islamic State terrorist group, ISIS.

The war against terrorism and the economic situation of the Kurdistan Region were also among the topics discussed in the meeting.

Delegations For Dialogue “provides future generations of leaders with the opportunity to interact directly with issues at the forefront of international affairs” according to their website. The delegation is visiting Kurdistan to research its historical and socio-political aspects.