“Our nation today is facing a very delicate phase. On September 25, a referendum will be held through which the Kurdistan nation will determine its fate, stepping towards independence,” Barzani said in a statement read out at a meeting in the German city of Cologne on Saturday, media reports said.
He added, “The decision of the referendum is being made by the Kurdistan nation. It is the decision of all religious and ethnic components. It is another great achievement in the peaceful history of struggle in Kurdistan.”
Recently, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met Barzani in Iraq to express Ankara’s serious concerns about the September 25 vote on Kurdish independence.
Cavusoglu also conveyed Turkey's opposition to the Kurdish independence vote, which would also include cities populated by Turkmens, an ethnic group which has historical and cultural ties with Turkey.
The central government in Baghdad is opposed to the vote and regional players like Iran and Turkey have also expressed concerns about the planned referendum by Iraqi Kurdish authorities, arguing it could create further instability in the region.