The decision by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) to hold an independence referendum later this year is a "grave mistake", the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Reacting to KRG President Masoud Barzani's announcement that a vote would be held on Sept. 25, the Foreign Ministry said Iraq's territorial integrity should be guarded.
"We think that this will be a grave mistake," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday's declaration. "Protection of the territorial integrity and political unity of Iraq is one of the basic principles of Turkey's Iraq policy."
By Kubra Chohan
Anadolu Agency
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