Turkish and Iranian presidents warn KRG over independence vote

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran's Hassan Rouhani on Sunday discussed the Kurdish region independence referendum set to be held on Monday in northern Iraq.   

In a phone conversation, the two leaders emphasised that not canceling the referendum would sow chaos in the region and stressed the importance of Iraq''s territorial integrity, Turkish presidential sources said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking with the media.    

The sources added that during the conversation Erdogan's planned October 3 visit to Iran was also mentioned.   

TRT World's Hasan Abdullah reports from Ankara.

Monday's non-binding referendum will see Iraqis in Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)-held areas - and in a handful of territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad - vote whether to secede from Iraq.   

Baghdad, Turkey, Iran, the US, and the UN have all spoken out against the poll, saying it will only distract from the ongoing fight against Daesh and further destabilise the region.   

Iraq's central government has threatened to intervene militarily if the vote leads to violence.   

The KRG's leader, Massoud Barzani, has said a Yes win would not result in an automatic declaration of independence but would simply lead to further negotiations with Baghdad.