We welcome the decision taken by the Iraqi Council of Representatives on September 12, 2017, which rejects the independence referendum that will be conducted by the KRG and considers the said initiative as illegal.

In numerous recent statements, we have pointed out the risks that the referendum, which the KRG plans to conduct on September 25, 2017, pose primarily to KRG as well as to the friendly and fraternal people of Iraq and to our region and we have registered Turkey’s unequivocal opposition against this initiative.

We consider the September 12th decision of the Iraqi Council of Representatives as the clear expression of the importance given to Iraq’s political unity and territorial integrity and we strongly support the said decision.

Despite the warnings of Turkey and all the members of the international community who act with common sense, we are concerned by the KRG leadership’s persistence and its increasingly emotional statements on the referendum.

We would like to stress that KRG should keep in mind that continued insistence on carrying out this referendum despite all the friendly advice to the contrary shall have a cost. In that regard, we invite the KRG to act with common sense and to give up its erroneous stance.

Turkey wishes the management of affairs between Baghdad and Erbil on a constitutional and fair basis, and in this sense the resolution of the legitimate demands of the KRG pertaining to the constitutional disputes through dialogue. In line with this approach, Turkey stands ready to extend all the support in its capability to further strengthen the relations between the Central Government and the KRG based on the principles of territorial integrity, political unity and mutual gain.