Turkey's Erdogan, Iraq's Abadi to discuss Iraqi Kurdish referendum
18 Sept 2017 10:21 PM IST
ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will meet Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi this week to discuss their concerns about an independence referendum in Iraq's Kurdish region.
Turkey, the United States and other Western powers have advised authorities in the semi-autonomous region to cancel the vote, worrying that tensions it would generate might act as an unwelcome distraction from the war on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
With the largest Kurdish population in the region, Turkey also fears that a "Yes" vote would fuel separatism in its southeast, where militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have waged an insurgency for three decades.
Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani said on Friday the referendum would go ahead as planned on Sept 25.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday before departing for New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, Erdogan said Ankara and Baghdad had the same view regarding the referendum.
"We will have a meeting with Mr Abadi in the United States, and from what we can see our goal is the same. Our goal is not dividing Iraq," said Erdogan, who earlier said that Barzani's decision to not postpone the vote was "very wrong".
Late on Saturday Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the referendum was an issue of national security and Turkey would take any necessary steps in response.
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