MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On June 7, Iraqi Kurdistan's President Masoud Barzani announced his intention to hold a referendum on the independence of the autonomous region from Iraq on September 25, a decision which has been criticized by Baghdad.
The statement of support by Kurds in Sweden was made during a meeting between Barzani and President of Federation of the Kurdistani Groups in Sweden Kaya Ezol, the Rudaw news agency reported.
Ezol expressed his intention to work in the Swedish parliament, organize demonstrations in Sweden in support of the referendum and to bring international observers to monitor the vote.
Barzani thanked Ezol for his support, saying that the referendum was needed to separate Iraqi Kurdistan from Iraq over the failure of cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad.
Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria, Iraq and Turkey. A portion of the Kurdish population also lives in Iran.
