Russia to continue encouraging Iraqi Kurdistan, Baghdad to launch dialogue - Lavrov

SOCHI, October 16. /TASS/. Russia will continue encouraging Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq’s central government to launch dialogue for resolving disputes, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a panel discussion dubbed Global Politics and Its Agenda: How to Protect The World, held on the sidelines of the World Festival of Youth and Students. "We will continue encouraging the parties to try and come to an agreement on how to move on, taking into account all the aspects of the current situation in the country, as well as in the region," the Russian top diplomat said. "Apart from Iraq, the Kurdish issue also concerns Iran, Syria and Turkey. For the sake of regional stability, it is important to find a solution suitable for all, as there are already enough irritants in the region," Lavrov added. The Russian foreign minister also said that Moscow stood for achieving an early agreement "on the future co-existence of all those living in Iraq." "Unfortunately, in the past, there were not enough efforts to resolve two major issues concerning the use of oil revenues and the status of Kirkuk, which still remain pending," Lavrov noted. "Delaying these issues did not contribute to the stable development of the Iraqi state," he added. On September 25, a referendum on independence took place in Iraqi Kurdistan. According to the Kurdish Election Commission, more than 90% of those taking part in the plebiscite voted in favor of seceding from Iraq. Iraq’s neighboring states Iran and Turkey, as well as many other countries, opposed the referendum. Read more