Kurdistan independence referendum was natural right of Kurds, parliament speaker says
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan’s call for a referendum was a legitimate and natural request by the Kurdish people, Speaker of Kurdistan Parliament Rewaz Faiaq said on Wednesday on the second anniversary of the historic Kurdistan independence referendum.
At the start of the parliament session, Faiaq emphasized that the right to decide one’s future is a fundamental right recognized by the international charters.
“However, the international community, including some of the Kurdistan Region’s allies, turned their back on us,” she said to lawmakers.
“The fearless people of Kurdistan have been fighting for that right non-stop for decades, and many youths have sacrificed their lives for that purpose,” Faiq added.
The parliament speaker reminded that self-determination “is a legitimate and natural right and does not oppose any international law,” noting that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) continues to seek its constitutional rights from the Iraqi government.
During the same session, Omed Khoshnaw, a lawmaker from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), submitted a request to the speaker to have Sept. 25 recognized as a national day for the people of Kurdistan.
“For two years, Kurdistan, with all of its political and public components, celebrates the day on a national level, and the parliament made the decision to hold the referendum,” Khoshnaw said, underlining the importance of recognizing the historic day.
To mark the second anniversary, lawmakers in the Kurdistan Parliament rose to their feet and began to sing the Kurdish national anthem.