sentences:  Masoud Barzani was one of the eight candidates shortlisted in the "Time" magazine's 2014 Person of the Year, for his efforts to push for Kurdish independence with the ongoing fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.On 7 June 2017, Barzani had announced that Kurdistan Region would hold an independence referendum on 25 September 2017.On the day following the referendum, 26 September 2017, he announced that the referendum had been a success in seeking independence, and called on neighboring countries to be open to future dialogue.