HELSINKI, Finland – A delegation from the Kurdistan Region’s parliament is in Finland by invitation from Finnish officials, mainly discussing the question of the independence referendum, the fight against ISIS and continued humanitarian assistance to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
After a meeting with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Finland, Jaafar Iminiki, deputy speaker of Kurdistan’s parliament, spoke with a Rudaw correspondent in Helsinki.
“We found out the time was right to convey the message of the people of Kurdistan to the friends of Kurdistan,” said Iminiki, explaining the message will be conveyed across the world.
The Kurdistan Region plans to hold a vote on independence on September 25.
“The message of the people of Kurdistan for referendum is a clear and important one and we are sure that the friends of Kurdistan would respect it and we delivered that message to the president of the Finnish Social Democratic Party, who are on the opposition side,” Iminiki said.
He revealed the main topic in the meeting with the SDP was developing relations between the Kurdistan Region and Finland after ISIS and the visit to the northern European nation took place “upon invitation from the Finnish parliament.”
The SPD is traditionally one of the main political parties in Finland.
The Kurdish delegation met SPD members including Eero Heinäluoma, the party’s former chairman and the former Speaker of the Eduskunta, Finland’s unicameral parliament, from 2011 to 2015.
Finland joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS this summer when it also increased security measures. Last month, a knife-wielding attacker killed two Finnish women. Five other women, two men and a 15-year-old girl were also wounded in the city of Turku. The incident was later claimed by ISIS through its affiliated media.
Kurdish fighters called Peshmerga have been on the frontlines since ISIS militants threatened to take over all of Iraq in 2014. The Kurdistan Region with a population of about 5.4 million people has sheltered 1.8 million displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees because of the war with ISIS.
Iminiki said they discussed how to increase humanitarian assistance to the Region as it continues to rebound from economic crises.
The question of Finland establishing formal diplomatic representation in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil also was discussed.
Abu Bakir Haladani, a delegate among the Kurdish parliament team, explained that the meeting was also timely for people of both nations.
“Fortunately, we have come here at a time when the Finnish nation is celebrating their 100th independence anniversary and we also with the help of God, 101 years after the end of Sykes-Picot agreement, are heading towards that [goal],” he said, adding the Kurdish emissaries also asked about developing democracy and Kurds’ national desires.
He said they also asked the Finnish officials to assist those in the Region needing psychological services.
Tahseen Dolamari, another member of the Kurdistan parliament delegation, told Rudaw that the Kurdistan Region made its decisions and cannot stay with Iraq.
“We convinced them that the Kurdistan Region cannot stay with Iraq as partners, therefore the people of Kurdistan ask for referendum in order to reach independence,” Dolamari said.
He went on to say “they promised, as an opposition party, to bring up this question in the parliament and defend the right of the people of Kurdistan.”
Last week, a delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government Interior Ministry was in Finland on an official invitation to exchange ideas and discuss continued coordination between Erbil and Helsinki on the questions of immigrants, security cooperation, and the upcoming independence referendum.
