After the complete destruction of Daesh in Kurdistan, a definition of the borders with Iraq will be a priority for Kurdistan, the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Nechirvan Barzani said. "The independence of Kurdistan is the right of our people. The choice of our destiny is a legitimate right and it will remain the main goal for us and the whole of the Kurdish people. The boundaries of Kurdistan,'' Kurdistan.ru cites him as saying. Barzani believes that the sacrifices of the victims from the Kurdish Peshmerga forces who gave their lives for the liberation of Kurdish lands from Daesh should not be in vain. "The next step may be independence, a federation or a confederation, a delineation between the Kurdish borders with Iraq will remain a top priority for the Kurds," Barzani said. As for Baghdad’s reaction regarding a future referendum on Kurdish independence, the politician noted that the Kurds will deal with the central government through negotiations. Speaking of Ankara and Tehran, Barzani said that they are not "decisive factors" in this issue.
Nechirvan Barzani
According to the President of the Russia–Islamic World Center for Strategic Studies, Shamil Sultanov, the creation of a Kurdistan would result in negative consequences for the entire region: "There are some elites in the world who support the creation of an independent part of Kurdistan. Let’s imagine that Kurdistan has been created. What will happen there in a month? It will entail a fierce war, like in Southern Sudan. The creation of a Kurdistan is impossible, as there is no single Kurdish society or Kurdish elite."
Explaining his position, the expert said: "The Kurdish elite is split in Turkey. Only 15-20% support the 'Kurdistan Workers' Party', and 85% support Erdogan."
Syrians have a negative attitude towards the Kurds in Syria. The majority of Kurds living in Syria had no Syrian citizenship until 2009. After receiving citizenship, they began to discuss the creation of an independent republic.
Elite Iraqi Kurdistan is split into two parts. The pro-Turkish part is headed by Massoud Barzani. It supports Erdogan. The other part supports Tehran."
Speaking about Russia's position on the Kurdish issue, Shamil Sultanov noted: "Moscow is very careful in this regard. We have 60 years of experience in dealing with the Kurds. They have lived in our country, particularly Barzani's father lived about 15 years there, and, according to some reports, he even received Soviet citizenship... It is known that the class differences in Kurdish society are much stronger than an ephemeral ethnic community. Therefore, the problem of Kurdistan is a minefield. Proponents want to divide the Middle East as happened in Yugoslavia, creating a Kurdistan in order that other religious and ethnic enclaves could use the example of Kurdistan. It would lead to a fratricidal slaughter for the next 50-60 years."
