The 7th anniversary of the decision to hold a referendum on independence in the Kurdistan Region

ARK News... Today, June 7, 2024, marks the 7th anniversary of the decision to hold a referendum on independence in the Kurdistan Region.

On this day, seven years ago (June 7, 2017), President Masoud Barzani, who was then President of the Kurdistan Region, held a large-scale meeting in Erbil, with the participation of government officials, representatives of political parties and forces, and officials from the Independent High Commission for Elections and Referendum in the Kurdistan Region, to set a date of independence referendum.

The attendees decided by an absolute majority to agree to the following points:

First: September 25, 2017 was set as the date for holding the referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the Kurdistan regions outside the administration of the Kurdistan Region.

Second: The political parties in Kurdistan, starting from this meeting, and until the day of the referendum, will work to reactivate Parliament and solve political problems in order to achieve unity of national ranks and unity of position.

Third: The necessity of raising the standard of living of the people of Kurdistan and paying attention to the economic problems of the citizens of the Kurdistan Region, employees and those with limited income.

Fourth: The attendees decided to form a higher committee for the referendum headed by Mr. Masoud Barzani. The attendees gave the political parties in Kurdistan a specific deadline to nominate their representatives in the committees concerned with the referendum for the post-referendum period extending until 12/6/2017.

President Masoud Barzani says in one of his messages to the people of Kurdistan on the occasion of the anniversary of the adoption of the independence referendum day: “On June 7, 2017, the political parties in Kurdistan voted unanimously to hold a referendum on the independence of the Kurdistan Region so that our people can convey their voice to the world in a peaceful manner.”

He added: "The decision to hold the referendum is a great gain for all the citizens of Kurdistan, and it is a pride for all the parties that participated in issuing it, and it is a decision that no party has regretted making."

Following the holding of the referendum, on October 16, 2017, the Iraqi forces and the Popular Mobilization Forces launched a massive, unjustified military attack on the Kurdish areas outside the administration of the Kurdistan Region, including the city of Kirkuk, from which the Peshmerga forces withdrew following the betrayal of forces affiliated with the so-called “October 16” wing. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party took part in the city's defensive lines, which led to its collapse, and the withdrawal of the Peshmerga forces from the city, and later from most Kurdistan regions, to avoid a clash with the Iraqi forces.

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