Erdogan rejects Kurdish referendum

Turkey's President, Recep Tayip Erdogan, said it is very important that neighbouring Iraq remain a united country and that the Kurdish referendum on independence should not be held.

Authorities in the Kurdish region of Iraq are scheduled to hold the independence referendum on 25 September, and the president of the Kurdish regional government has told Reuters last week that there should be no turning back from trying for the Kurdish independent state.

The importance of Iraq's territorial integrity is increasing from day to day”, Erdogan said at an Istanbul oil conference.

“They must refrain from unilateral steps, such as independence referendum”, Erdogan added.

Turkey, for decades, fights Kurds on its territory, trying for more autonomy.