Turkish PM vows political, economic steps in response to Iraq's Kurdish referendum

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim warned on Saturday that Turkey's steps in response to a planned independence referendum in northern Iraq's Kurdish region will have security, diplomatic, political and economic dimensions.

Speaking to reporters in the central province of Kirsehir, he said the planned independence referendum was wrong and an "adventurist" move that put Turkey at risk, and Turkey will be in close cooperation with Iran and Iraq to response.

When asked if a cross-border operation was among the steps, he said that possible responses to the referendum include security, economic, and political options, saying it was "a question of timing."

The prime minister underlined that those who made the decision to hold the referendum would pay a price.

On Friday, Turkey's National Security Council warned northern Iraq against holding a referendum on independence would cause "grave results," and called the referendum to be completely cancelled.

On June 7, the Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani announced his plan to hold a referendum on Sept. 25 on seeking independence of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region from Iraq.

The international community, especially Iraq's neighboring countries such as Iran, Turkey and Syria, have voiced strong opposition to the move, fearing it would inspire the huge Kurdish population in their own countries to follow suit.

source: xinhua