Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum at this stage firstly aims at receiving dividends, expert on Arabic studies Armen Petrosyan told Armenpress, commenting on the referendum held in Iraqi Kurdistan on September 25.
International actors will reckon with independence of Iraqi Kurdistan over time – expert on Arabic studies
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 26, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS: “Referendum doesn’t mean independence yet, it supposes a long process in legal, legislative and political fields. In any case, declaring independence of the Kurdish state in the northern Iraq is a matter of time. International actors will reckon with this over the course of time”, he said.
Commenting on the reactions and actions of major regional powers, Armen Petrosyan said at this stage they are mainly warnings to the Iraqi Kurdistan not to take sharp steps. Petrosyan said Iraqi Kurdistan’s position is such that it seriously depends on neighbors. If neighbors close the land, air border, Iraqi Kurdistan will face serious economic problems. “We cannot rule out the direct interference, all chances exist for that, but at the moment I think major actors try to hinder the independence process”, he said.
As for Armenia’s interests in the context of this process, the expert said these developments have two-sided meaning. Firstly, it’s positive that the Iraqi Kurdistan referendum becomes another precedent in line with the Arsakh issue. In addition, Armenia has economic opportunities with Iraqi Kurdistan. And finally, the Kurdish issue is concerning for Turkey, and this means a new problem for Turks.
“On the other hand, this event puts a beginning of a process in the Middle East, in our region on forming new states through the violation of territorial integrity of states”, he said.
Armen Petrosyan said Armenia must carefully follow the developments for making right decisions in accordance with the situation.
