Estonia announced it “respects the territorial integrity of the Republic of Iraq, as long as preserving it will not bring along violent suppression of the human and political rights of the Kurdish minority in Iraq.”
The parliament in Tallinn voted in favor of a statement on Tuesday that emphasized the need for negotiations and to avoid the escalation of an armed conflict between the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Forty-three members of the unicameral body agreed with the statement, three abstained, none voted against it.
“The Riigikogu expresses hope that the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum of 25 September will be a step in non-violent resolution of the status of the Kurdish minority in Iraq by reconciling the people’s right to self-determination and the principle of territorial integrity,” it added.
The statement called on “all countries of the region not to interfere with the internal affairs of the Republic of Iraq.”
Baghdad has admitted that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp members including Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani have advised its paramilitary forces who entered the disputed or Kurdistani areas claimed by Erbil and Baghdad but were under the administration of the KRG until last week.
The Kurdistan Region held a referendum on September 25 in which 92.7 percent of ballots cast indicated 'Yes' for independence from Baghdad. The non-binding vote was conducted in the four Kurdistan Region provinces, as well as the disputed areas.
Most of the international community opposed the referendum's timing, arguing it would distract from the fight against ISIS – a claim Kurdish leaders rejected.
Israel came out in support of Kurdish independence aspirations and Russia held a more neutral stance saying it was waiting to see if the referendum had international recognition, but it supported the “territorial integrity of regional states.”
Since the vote, Baghdad has taken a number of punitive measures including sending the federal forces into the oil-rich and diverse disputed areas where there have been deadly conflicts. Iran-influenced Iraqi paramilitaries like the Hashd al-Shaabi were among the federal forces.
Amid the violence, the KRG offered on Wednesday morning to freeze the outcome of the referendum, declare a ceasefire, and begin dialogue with Baghdad on the basis of the Iraqi constitution. Baghdad has not yet responded to the proposal.
Estonia is a member of the US-led global anti-ISIS coalition. The northern European nation declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1988.
