Turkish, Iraqi PMs discuss Kurdish referendum

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım spoke on the phone with his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi to discuss the Sept. 25 independence referendum in the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a Prime Ministry source said on Sept. 27.

The source said the two leaders discussed developments regarding the referendum as well as bilateral relations between Iraq and Turkey and other regional issues.

Almost 93 percent of those who voted in the referendum in northern Iraq voted in favor of regional independence, according to preliminary results released on Sept. 27.

The referendum had faced wide-spread opposition from most regional and international actors, many of whom had warned the poll would further destabilize the region and distract from the ongoing fight against ISIL.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry re-issued a travel warning on Sept. 27 against Iraq’s Arbil, Dohuk and Sulaymaniyah provinces over potential security risks.