Abadi, Erdogan meet to form Kurdistan game plan
Iraq's prime minister met with Turkey's president in Ankara today to solidify joint support for Baghdad as it battles to keep the Kurdistan region under Iraqi control.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi made a lightning visit to Ankara today to shore up regional support for Baghdad’s efforts to reclaim full control over the beleaguered Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The campaign could turn very bloody should the Kurds resist.
Abadi met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has emerged as a key ally in those plans. In a joint news conference, the two men repeated their objections to the Kurdish independence referendum, which was held Sept. 25 and approved by a crushing 93% of voters.
Erdogan said, “From the beginning we have always expressed that we supported territorial integrity in Iraq, and we will continue to do so.” He added, “We did not get a positive response to [our] warnings, so we decided to impose sanctions.”
Abadi said, “With the referendum, they tried to break up our territory. They tried to redefine our borders.”
