17 August, 2017
"The independence referendum will lead to a worse situation in the country, even might lead to civil war", Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a televised interview.
Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region has said it would hold a referendum on independence on September 25, brushing aside worldwide warnings, including from Turkey, that it could trigger conflict with Baghdad.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the Kurdish administration of Iraq will regret if it holds an independence referendum.
Turkey has a substantial Kurdish minority which is sometimes estimated as making up around a quarter of its total population of just under 80 million.
Ankara has given its reasons for opposing northern Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) upcoming independence referendum, asserting that it would do more harm than good for Iraqi Kurds and the integrity of Iraq. In 2005, Iraq's Constitution recognized Kurdistan as an autonomous region run by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The Kurdistan Regional Government now pumps hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day to Turkey's Ceyhan export terminal.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said that Iran and Turkey share common views on holding referendum for Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum, IRNA news agency reported.
"Even if they have a referendum, what will they do with the possible result of independence?"
The U.S. State Department has said it is concerned that the referendum in northern Iraq will distract from "more urgent priorities" such as the defeat of Islamic State militants. The harshest statement against the referendum came from the Iraqi government, claiming that the referendum is not constitutional and would create more problems for the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has supported the Kurds right to vote for independence but he, like the USA, said he felt the timing was wrong in April 2017.
"Turkey gives importance to Iraq's territorial and political integrity". The Iraqi central government, Iran and the European Union have also said they defend the territorial integrity of Iraq while the US demanded the postponement of the referendum. But it is only in Iraq where they have achieved a recognized autonomy.
