Turkish minister wants Kurds to abandon secession vote

By Meltem Bulur

BAGHDAD (AA) - Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday called on Iraqi Kurds to cancel a planned independence referendum scheduled for next month.

“Our expectation from Erbil is quite plain and clear: this referendum decision should be cancelled,” Cavusoglu told reporters at a joint news conference alongside his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Baghdad.

On Sept. 25, residents of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region will take part in a popular referendum on whether or not to declare formal independence from the Iraqi state.

Baghdad rejects the planned poll, saying it could adversely affect the ongoing fight against Daesh, which -- despite a string of recent defeats -- still maintains a significant presence in Iraq.