Baghdad grateful to Moscow for strengthening its sovereignty and security - top diplomat

MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. Iraq is grateful to Russia for the support Moscow provides to strengthen the country’s sovereignty and security, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said on Monday ahead of talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Specifically, he thanked Russia for the assistance in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, terror group, outlawed in Russia) and for the support in terms of the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan. "I would also like to note here that Russia’s stance on the issue is very friendly to us," he stressed. "Russia is respected all over the world, including by our Kurdish brothers whom we consider an integral part of our people." According to the minister, Baghdad’s stance on the Kurdistan referendum enjoys broad international support. "The entire world community has taken our side," he noted. "No one supported the referendum. That concerns both the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which unanimously supported us. The UN Security Council also spoke out in favor of our position during the debate." Al-Jaafari voiced regret over the fact that the events related to the referendum "occurred at a time when Iraq was gearing up for declaring victory over terrorism." "Everyone comprehends that the referendum is unconstitutional, because the first article of the country’s Constitution states that Iraq is a sovereign, single and indivisible state," he stressed. "The Constitution did give our Kurdish brothers an opportunity to create their own region, but that does not mean the right to secession from Iraq." On September 25, Iraqi Kurdistan, whose autonomy is enshrined in Iraq’s Constitution, held an independence referendum. The local High Electoral and Referendum Commission announced that over 90% of those who took part in the plebiscite favored secession. The government in Baghdad believes that the referendum violated the country’s Constitution and does not recognize the results of the vote. Read more