Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government's referendum on independence was a wrong step, the Iraqi Charge D'affaires to Azerbaijan, Fadhil Awad Al Shuwaili, said at a press conference on Tuesday, APA reported.
Calling the referendum ‘unconstitutional’, the diplomat rejected allegations that Iraqi Kurds are out of the authorities.
“Many positions in the government of Iraq are held by Kurds, and they have the right to represent the Iraqi state. The Iraqi president is also Kurdish,” the charge d'affaires said stressing that taking such a step leads to the creation of a state on the basis of ‘ethnic cleansing’, and that is not right.
The diplomat warned that as Kirkuk is also part of Iraq, Kurdistan does not have the right to declare it as its territory.
“We stand against the de-facto occupation of Kirkuk where all the representatives of the Iraqi people live in peace,” he said.
“The Kurds themselves differ on the referendum. They protest against the superiority of one party over another,” the Iraqi diplomat added.
He emphasized that the international community supports Iraq’s territorial integrity and considers the Kurdistan referendum illegal.
According to him, the regional government has the right to control all airports and close illegal checkpoints.
“Oil fields in Kurdistan belong to the entire Iraq, and the central government has the right to regain control over them,” he added.
The charge d'affaires said he hopes that Kurdistan will annul the result of the referendum and begin negotiations.
“Negotiations with Kurdistan may be possible only after the results of the referendum are annulled. The best way to preserve the unity of the state lies in dialogue,” Al Shuwaili underlined.
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