Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said on Monday that holding referendum in the Iraqi Kurdistan region will isolate the Kurds living in the region.

Shamkhani made the remarks in a meeting with the First Deputy Secretary General of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Kosrat Rasul Ali and Chief of Executive Body of Iraq's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Molla Bakhtiar.

Although it appears attractive but in fact it will lead to isolation of Iraqi Kurds and pressure on them and in the meantime will result in weakening of Kurdistan and the whole country, Shamkhani added.

He noted that victory over Daesh and liberation of Mosul promises a better future for the unified Iraq and foiling foreign plots which planned to divide the country.

Stable, safe and united Iraq can guarantee sustainability, stability and progress of the country and the friend countries should support the approach, Shamkhani noted.

He said that pursuing the issue of holding referendum and causing a rift among Iraqi nation will not afford the Iraqi people's needs and is not compatible with the Iraqi officials’ policies.

Shamkhani said certain regional and international countries in the region seek to weaken Iraq and big countries in the West Asian region.

Regional people should be vigilant towards their national interests and the interests of Islamic World and prevent execution of colonial plots like the ‘Great Middle East’ project, he noted.

Shamkhani underlined that Iran wishes security, economic development and welfare for the Iraqi people which in fact can impede growth of terrorist groups in the region.

Deputy Secretary General of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan for his part thanked Iran’s support for Iraqi Kurds and noted there are historical links between the Iranian nation and the Iraqi Kurds.

He pointed to Iran’s decisive support for the Iraqi Kurdistan region and said Iran was the only county to prevent eruption of a security catastrophe in Iraqi Kurdistan while Takfiri terrorists were approaching the region’s capital, Erbil.

The president of Iraqi Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani has threatened to hold referendum on independent Kurdish statehood.
 

News ID 188574