Turkey demands cancellation of Iraqi Kurdish independence vote

ANKARA

A Kurdish independence referendum is illegitimate and poses a direct threat to Turkey's national security and Iraq's territorial integrity and national unity, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said late on Sept. 22, calling for a complete cancellation.

The statement by Bozdağ came after a cabinet meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the presidential complex in Ankara.  

Bozdağ emphasized that Turkey is calling for the referendum to be cancelled, not postponed.  

"We are also against its postponement. Postpone means to allow it to happen in the future. This referendum must be canceled in a way that will not be repeated again," Bozdağ said.