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August 5th, 2017 
Awake Goy 
nsnbc : Hoshyar Zebari, a member of the Kurdistan High Referendum Council in the Kurdistan Autonomous Region of Iraq said the Russian view of the referendum expressed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is very positive, progressive and encouraging.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (archives) (EFE)
Speaking to reporters, Zebari referred a an interview Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave with the Rudaw news agency, in which he said that Kurds, like all other peoples in the world, had the right to express their aspirations and that the referendum they had decided to hold in September was the means to do so. The date for the referendum has been set for September 25.
The Russian Foreign Minister also suggested that the process and its outcome must be implemented peacefully, adding that Moscow was willing to help both Baghdad and Erbil in a way that would respect both sides.
Zebari, who formerly served as Iraq’s Foreign Minister and Finance Minister, described the Russian view as expressed by Lavrov as positive, progressive and encouraging. Zebari also described Lavrov’s remarks as “timely” and that they empowered the Kurds in explaining their position in their talks with the European Union, EU member states, as well as the United States. Zebari was wise not to also mention Iran, considering that tension between Iranian and Iraqi Kurds and the Iranian government in Tehran are on the rise, considering that Iran is a strategic partner of Russia in the region, but that the Tehran – Moscow axis is one of perceived current geopolitical necessity, more than one that’s bolstered by ideology.
Barzani in Belgium
A Kurdish delegation headed by President Masoud Barzani visited Brussels to rally support for the referendum in Europe in early July. Zebari had earlier said that they were going to visit each permanent member of the UN Security Council, including the US and Russia, to discuss the referendum. He said that he read between the lines that Lavrov was doubtful that the referendum will be held, something he added the Kurdistan Region has to address with “practical steps.” “If you followed his [Lavrov’s] remarks, I looked at it very carefully because I know him personally—we have been dealing with him for more than 10 years—even he, too, had doubts on whether it will be held. In this respect, we should remove the doubts from the minds of the people,” Zebari concluded.
Mala Bakhtiar, a senior Kurdish official and senior member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), stated on Thursday that Hungary and Belgium have already expressed their willingness to support the referendum. Turkey, Iran, and the Iraqi government have expressed their objection to the Kurdish plan. The US, among others, has so far only suggested a change in the date of the referendum. A “yes” for independence will not automatically trigger a “declaration of independence” – or at least that is not what is expected. A yes would create the political and legal mandate for the Kurdistan Autonomous Region to negotiate the terms of Kurdistan’s independence in accordance with the Iraqi Constitution.
F/AK – nsnbc 04.08.2017
Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2017/08/04/russias-positive-view-on-iraqi-kurdistan-independence-referendum-encouraging-hoshyar-zebari/
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