Kurdistan Regional Government

Turkey would intervene militarily if the Turkmen population in Iraq is targeted, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu warned in a televised interview on Sept. 25, amid a series of warnings from Ankara over the independence referendum in northern Iraq.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned on Sept. 25 Turkey could cut off the pipeline that carries oil from northern Iraq to the outside world, intensifying pressure on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over its independence referendum.

Turkey is determined to take action if its national security is threatened, officials vowed on Sept. 25, as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) pressed ahead with an independence referendum despite pressure and warnings from Baghdad, Turkey, Iran and the international community.

Turkey will not "embark on an adventure" but it will respond if its interests are harmed amid the Sept. 25 Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) independence referendum, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has said.

Turkish customs minister Bülent Tüfenkci said on Sept. 25 habur border gate with northern Iraq was not closed, tight controls imposed on traffic.

Initial reports had stated that Turkey blocked access into the country from northern Iraq at the Habur border gate, adding that it was still possible to enter Iraq through the crossing.

The government is planning to put measures set out in the National Security Council (MGK) meeting on Sept. 22 into practice if the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) goes ahead with the independence referendum on Sept. 25. 

Priority in these measures will be placed on economic steps as well as intense diplomatic pressure on the Masoud Barzani administration. 

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has urged the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to be cool-headed when taking measures against the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over a planned referendum on independence, after the Turkish parliament voted to extend by a year a mandate authorizing the deployment of Turkish troops on foreign soil. 

Thanks to Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leader Masoud Barzani's move to hold a referendum on carving out an independent Kurdistan, the Middle East is once again a high-risk spot, competing with the ongoing crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

Ankara may be right to be alarmed by the northern Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) call for referendum, as it could herald a radical change along Turkey's southern border. Such a radical step toward the establishment of a new independent state is not only a challenge for Turkey but also for all other regional powers and the international order.

Iraq's Kurds will go ahead with a referendum on independence on Sept. 25, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani has said.

Iraqi Kurds will seek talks with the Shi'ite-led central government to implement the expected "yes" outcome of the referendum, even if they take two years or more, he said at a news conference.