Turkey slams Kurdistan independence referendum, calls it 'grave mistake'

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) - Turkey’s Foreign Ministry on Friday called the now-announced referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region, set to take place in September, a “grave mistake.”

“We deem the decision, despite our advice and warnings, by the KRI leadership to hold a referendum on independence on September 25, 2017, to be a grave mistake,” read a press release on the ministry’s website.

“We have previously shared our views and concerns with the Iraqi government, the KRI, and the international community,” said the Turkish release regarding the decision to hold a referendum, announced Wednesday, by the Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani after a meeting in Erbil with leading political parties.

The Turkish ministry refrained from using the Kurdistan Region’s official full name, referring to it simply as "IKBY," a Turkish acronym equivalent to “The Iraqi Kurdish Regional Administration.”

“We had underscored that the referendum would not be in the interest of Iraq and notably that of the KRI; that the aforementioned undertaking would lead to negative results and escalate instability during this very time as critical developments unfold in the region,” said Ankara.

There was also reference to earlier Turkish objections to the hoisting of the Kurdistan flag on official buildings in the Kurdish-majority Iraqi province of Kirkuk in March following a decision by the provincial council.

Kirkuk, alongside other disputed territories such as Shingal and Khanaqin, is included in areas where the Kurds will hold the referendum.

“It is clear that a referendum held under the extraordinary circumstances the people of Iraq live in, and additionally in disputed regions, will be far away from reflecting the people’s will,” said the Turkish ministry.

“The preservation of the territorial integrity and political unity of Iraq is one of the core principles of Turkey’s Iraq policy. This principle is a prerequisite of enduring stability, peace, security, and prosperity of the region,” further read the statement.

Ankara cautioned about the “international and constitutional legitimacy” on the prospects of Kurdish independence while urging dialogue.

In April, a spokesperson for the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the Kurdistan Region’s attempts at independence a ‘wrong’ step because it could “spread to other regions.”

“Everybody will pay the price” for such a move, claimed the spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin, implying the prospects of similar demands by Kurds in Syria, Turkey, and Iran.

Editing by G.H. Renaud