Iran backs ‘unified’ Iraq, Rouhani tells Kurdish PM
President Hassan Rouhani said Iran invariably backs a “united and integrated” Iraq, warning against attempts by certain foreign powers to deal a blow to regional stability and security.
At a Sunday meeting with Nechirvan Barzani, the prime minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Rouhani said, “All regional countries and ethnicities are duty-bound to defend a federal administration and help secure border demarcations in the region,” Press TV reported.
“Indisputably, extra-regional powers and forces do not and will not feel any sympathy for people of the region,” said Rouhani said.
The president pointed to attempts by foreigners at destabilizing the region and rendering it insecure, and emphasized regional cooperation to counter the push.
“Extra-regional powers and forces only think about achieving their own long-term goals,” he added.
Rouhani also asserted that all regional ethnicities, including the Iraqi Kurds, should exercise their rights within the framework of their respective countries’ constitutions and territorial integrity.
Barzani said that Iraqi Kurds want a “unified Iraq,” agreeing all sides should remain committed to Iraq’s Constitution and pursue their demands through legal channels.
In September 2016, the KRG defied stern warnings from Baghdad and several other states, and held the referendum on separation from mainland Iraq. Kurdish officials said a majority of people had voted ‘Yes’ to secession.