By Meltem Bulur, Haydar Hadi, Ugur Cil and Ecenur Colak
BAGHDAD
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.
He said that he arrived in Baghdad to underline the importance of Iraq’s territorial integrity and political unity, adding that Iraq’s “unity and solidarity” would also benefit Kurds.
On Sept. 25, residents of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region will take part in a referendum on whether 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.
Cavusoglu praised Iraqi army efforts to recapture the northwestern city of Tal Afar from Daesh, saying Turkey would continue supporting Baghdad against the terror group.
Iraqi forces on Tuesday took two Tal Afar neighborhoods as part of an ongoing offensive aimed at dislodging Daesh militants from the northern district, according to an Iraqi military source.
A predominantly Turkmen city, Tal Afar was captured by Daesh in mid-2014 along with vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq.
Daesh’s self-proclaimed “caliphate” collapsed last month when the Iraqi army recaptured the northern city of Mosul after a nine-month military campaign.
‘Common enemies'
Describing Daesh and the PKK as “common enemies” of both countries Cavusoglu said: “The PKK, just like Daesh, is a threat to Iraq’s territorial integrity, its peace, unity and stability.
“We will act together [with Baghdad] to clean out the PKK from Iraq and will give every kind of support to Iraqi forces."
Cavusoglu also talked about the recent situation in Iraq’s Bashiqa Camp, where there is a Turkish military presence.
“Bashiqa has not been set up to violate Iraq’s territorial or border integrity,” he said, adding over 700 terrorists had been neutralized during Turkey’s military presence there.
Ankara and Baghdad will together decide on “the function, strategy and future of the Bashiqa Camp,” he said.
Turkey has a longstanding military training mission at Bashiqa, where Turkish soldiers have trained both Peshmerga fighters and local tribal volunteers in combat techniques.
Regarding economic relations between the two countries, Cavusoglu said Turkey would host a meeting of the Turkey-Iraq High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council.
The Turkish foreign minister also stated Ankara would contribute to rebuilding all the destroyed Iraqi cities, particularly Mosul.
“We will encourage our businessmen to invest in this region,” Cavusoglu said, thanking the Iraqi government for its support.
Turkmen visit
As part his official visit, Cavusoglu also held talks with Iraqi President Fuad Masum and Turkmen lawmakers in Baghdad.
"We [Turkey] are supporting all of them [Turkmens] without making distinctions between them," he told reporters after his engagement with the Iraqi Turkmen lawmakers.
"Turkmen are the nation who support the unity of Iraq the most," Cavusoglu said, adding: "The identity of Turkmen regions like Tal Afar should be protected."
Later, Cavusoglu met Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani In Erbil.
Speaking to reporters following the meeting, the Turkish foreign minister reiterated Turkey's stance on the referendum issue.
“We have shared our concerns on the issue with Barzani clearly. We want peace and stability of the region. We back the territorial integrity of Iraq,” he said.
“We do not believe this referendum will bring stability to the region.”
He said Turkey had always supported the KRG.
“What we ask is to solve the issue [between Badhdad and Erbil] through dialogue,” he said.
*Ahmet Sait contributed to this report from Ankara.
