A statement released after the closed MGK meeting, which was held under the presidency of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and lasted over three hours, said Turkey will reserve its rights stemming from bilateral and international agreements if the referendum is held despite all warnings, signaling an extension of the military mandate in Iraq.
The statement said that the KRG's insistence on holding the vote despite warnings by Turkey, the Iraqi government and the United Nations will create serious consequences in the region.
Ankara renewed its call for KRG to cancel the referendum "when there is still time," adding that Turkey was ready to support mediating between KRG and the Iraqi central government to resolve disagreements on a constitutional basis.
The MGK meeting was followed by a cabinet meeting that lasted over two hours to discuss the counter-measures against the vote.
Speaking to the reporters following the cabinet meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said the planned referendum is a direct threat to the Turkish Republic and called on KRG to drop the vote.
He said Turkey is strictly against the postponement of the referendum as it should be cancelled once and for all.
"Postponing the vote means facing the same problems in the near future, KRG should give up on its plans to hold the referendum," Bozdağ said.
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(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The Kurdish Regional Government's (KRG) planned referendum in northern Iraq is illegitimate and unacceptable, Turkey's top security body, the National Security Council (MGK) said on Friday.
23 September 2017 - 08:56
News ID: 855836
