Lavrov hopes repercussions of Iraq Kurdistan referendum to be taken into account

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope that all repercussions, including for the region, would be taken into account should the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum take place, Sputnik reports.

"We expect that when the final decisions are taken, everything linked to the political, geopolitical, demographic and economic repercussions of this step will be taken into account, bearing in mind that the Kurdish issue is broader than current Iraqi borders and affects the situation in a whole range of neighboring countries," Lavrov told the Rudaw television channel in an interview.

The Russian minister expressed hope that the will of the Kurdish people would be expressed peacefully.

"We assume that the legitimate aspirations of the Kurds, as well as other peoples, should be implemented within the framework of international law. This also has to do with the decision on holding the referendum, which was taken in Erbil as far as we understand," Lavrov added.

Sergey Lavrov also stated that the economic interaction between Russia and Iraqi Kurdistan is rather active and Moscow is encouraging these relations as they do not hinder Russian-Iraqi relationship.