Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister in Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) attended the St Petersburg International Economic Forum earlier this month where he held talks with Russian leaders including President Vladimir Putin on 2 June. He returned with Russian commitments to develop the region’s oil sector and the confidence to pull the trigger on an independence referendum.
President Masoud Barzani – uncle of the prime minister – announced on 7 June that a referendum on the KRG seceding from Iraq will be held on 25 September. Shortly after the referendum, presidential and parliamentary elections are set to go ahead on 6 November. (CONTINUED - 1671 WORDS)
