The referendum slated for Sept. 25 by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) should be abandoned, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement issued regarding the upcoming poll.
The ministry welcomed the decision by the Iraqi House of Representatives taken on Sept. 12 that declares the KRG referendum as illegal and rejects the initiative.
“We have drawn attention to the risks the KRG referendum poses to the people of Iraq and our region, and expressed no doubt in our views against this initiative. We regard the decision of the Iraqi Representative Assembly on Sept. 12 as a clear declaration attributed to Iraqi political unity and territorial integrity and strongly support it,” the statement said.
The parliament in Baghdad authorized the prime minister on Tuesday to "take all measures" to preserve Iraq's unity in response to the move to hold a referendum on Sept. 25.
“Despite the warnings of our country and the international community, the insistence of the KRG leadership on the referendum and their increasingly emotional statements have become increasingly alarming,” the statement said.
"It should be noted that this insistence will definitely have a cost," it added. "We call on them to act with good sense and abandon this erroneous approach immediately."
The non-binding referendum of the KRG on whether to declare independence from Baghdad slated for Sept. 25 carries great significance for millions of Arabs, Turkmens and Kurds in Iraq and Syria.
The Iraqi government rejects the planned poll, saying it will adversely affect the ongoing fight against the Daesh terrorist group, which still maintains a significant presence in Iraq. Baghdad also believes that holding the poll would violate the Iraqi constitution.
Turkey, too, rejects the planned referendum, saying the region’s stability depends on the unity of Iraq and the maintenance of its territorial integrity.
Washington has likewise voiced concern that the poll could serve as a “distraction” from other pressing regional issues, especially the fight against terrorism and the stabilization of post-Daesh Iraq.
