ERBIL () - Nine years after the Kurdistan independence referendum, the Kurdistan Diaspora Confederation has launched a coordinated diplomatic outreach campaign across Europe, delivering its official message to parliamentary representatives in Sweden, Germany, Finland and Norway.
The activities, held on Friday, were organized as part of efforts by Kurdish diaspora organizations to keep the referendum and their political demands before European parliamentary and decision-making institutions.
Message delivered to Sweden’s political parties
In Stockholm, a high-level delegation of the Kurdistan Diaspora Confederation, headed by Confederation President Ismail Kamil and accompanied by members of its executive committee and activists, held a political and diplomatic gathering outside the Parliament of Sweden.
During the activity, the delegation delivered an official statement to representatives and parliamentary groups of all political parties in the Swedish Parliament.
The statement emphasized what the Confederation described as the Kurdish people’s continuing determination to achieve their legitimate and democratic rights. It also called for greater support for the Kurdish national question among decision-making institutions in Europe and around the world.
The referendum was held on Sept. 25, 2017, in the Kurdistan Region and Kurdish areas outside the Region’s administration. According to the supplied source, more than 92 percent of voters voted in favor of independence.
Germany: Message presented to Düsseldorf Parliament
In Germany, a Kurdish community delegation delivered an official message from the Kurdistan Diaspora Confederation to the Parliament of Düsseldorf.
The delegation was formally received by parliamentary officials and presented the historical, humanitarian and political dimensions of the referendum process and the significance of its anniversary.
The delegation handed the Confederation’s message to the parliament’s leadership. According to the message, the Sept. 25, 2017 vote represented what the Confederation described as a free and fully democratic expression of the will of a persecuted people seeking independence.
The message also referred to the suffering and sacrifices of people in the Kurdistan Region during what it described as dark periods of history, including the Anfal campaign, the chemical attack on Halabja and the genocide against the Barzani people.
It also highlighted the role of the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces in confronting ISIS and protecting civilians.
Finland: Kurdish delegation meets parliament’s friendship group
In Finland, a joint delegation from the Kurdistan Diaspora Confederation’s central office and the Finnish branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party visited the Finnish Parliament.
The delegation delivered the Confederation’s official request and message to Laura Merilä, a Left Alliance parliamentarian and chair of the Finland-Kurdistan People Friendship Group in the Finnish Parliament.
During the meeting in the parliament building in Helsinki, the delegation outlined what it described as the historical suffering, struggle and sacrifices of the Kurdish people.
It called on Finnish lawmakers to support the outcome of the Kurdistan independence referendum, describing the vote as a democratic and civilian expression of the Kurdish people’s desire for freedom and independence.
The delegation also praised the historical leadership role of Masoud Barzani in advancing the referendum process and extended anniversary greetings to the families of those it described as martyrs and to the people of Kurdistan.
Norway: Message delivered to ruling party lawmaker
In Norway, representatives of the Kurdistan Diaspora Confederation and the Federation of Youth in Norway visited the Norwegian Parliament in Oslo and presented the Confederation’s official message to a senior lawmaker from the country’s governing Labour Party.
The delegation was received by Frode Jakobsen, a Labour Party parliamentarian and the party’s official in Oslo, who accepted the Confederation’s memorandum.
Jakobsen pledged to convey the messages and demands of the Kurdish community to the full membership of the Norwegian Parliament, according to the source. He also congratulated the Kurdish people on the anniversary and thanked the Kurdistan Diaspora Confederation in Norway for strengthening relations and facilitating diplomatic dialogue.
The Confederation said it continues to use meetings with parliaments and European decision-making institutions to keep alive what it describes as the Kurdish people’s demand for self-determination.
