Turkish Foreign Minister Travels to Erbil Over Kurdish Push for Independence

Storyful
7 年前

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital, Erbil, on Wednesday, August 23, to discuss his concerns about the region’s plans to hold an independence referendum in just over a month’s time.

Earlier in the day, Cavusoglu met with his Iraqi counterpart, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in Baghdad, telling him the Turkish government deemed the referendum a “mistake” and believed it would threaten Iraq’s territorial integrity. In a press conference, Cavusoglu also said Ankara would support Baghdad in ridding the region of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, outlawed in Turkey.

Footage by Iraqi Kurdish news outlet Rudaw shows Cavusoglu stepping off the plane at Erbil’s international airport. Credit: Twitter/Rudaw via Storyful