Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representative Dlawar Azhgayee told NRT European countries have supported a united Iraq. European officials during meetings and visits from their Kurdish counterparts have repeatedly said the issue is related to Kurds on whether to split from Iraq or hold a referendum, Azhgayee said. European countries will further support Kurds during independence due to the effect Kurds have had in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), according to the KRG envoy. Senior Kurdish officials have made calls for an independence referendum in the region to gauge people’s appetites for such a move, despite the number of crises currently affecting the KRG. KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said on March 23 that a referendum on the independence of the Kurdistan Region was set to take place this year.
