American Congressman says the Kurds and Peshmerga are the only forces defeating extremism

As part of his tour of the United States and to strengthen relations, Hemin Hawrami met with Congressman Gerald Connolly to discuss the military and security situation in the Kurdistan Region and the potential referendum on Kurdish statehood.

Mr Hawrami, who heads the Kurdistan Democratic Party's Foreign Relations Office, highlighted the Peshmergas triumph in their battle against Islamic State militia, where Mr Connolly, a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, praised their courageous role in defeating terrorism.

Speaking about relations with Baghdad, Hawrami added that Kurds will talk to the central government for a peaceful separation, arguing that the current system of governance in the Middle East had failed and a new system based on the socio-ethnic realities should be the premise for a new map of the region.

The KDP official also encouraged Washington to pursue an independent policy towards the Kurds, and in the meantime recognize the actual redrawing of borders on the ground by Iraq’s different communities.