Iraqi Province’s Decision to Vote in Kurdish Independence Referendum Dangerous: Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi deplored a decision by the provisional council of Iraq’s Kirkuk to vote in a referendum on Kurdish independence as “a dangerous move”.
“The decision taken by the provisional council of Kirkuk to participate in the Kurdish independence referendum, which has been rejected by the central government in Iraq, the UN and regional and trans-regional countries, is a dangerous and provocative move,” Qassemi said on Wednesday.
Not only will the move not help the recent talks to resolve Baghdad-Erbil disputes but also will affect Iraq’s national capacities and strength on the path to stabilize its victories against terrorism, he added.
“Any action that would create new crises in the region and the borders of Iraq’s neighbors is intolerable,” the spokesman warned.
The provisional council of Kirkuk voted on Tuesday to participate in the forthcoming referendum on Kurdish independence.
Officials in Iraq’s Kurdish region have said the northern territory would hold the independence referendum on September 25.
Masoud Barzani, the president of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), announced the vote on Twitter on June 7.
It is planned to be held in the three governorates that make up the Kurdish region and in the areas that are disputed by the Kurdish and Iraqi governments but are currently under Kurdish military control.
Iran has repeatedly voiced opposition to the plan, reiterating its policy of supporting Iraq’s territorial integrity.