Iran, Turkey step up efforts to find a coordinated approach on the Kurdish issue

As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Tehran for high-level talks with the Iranian officials on regional and bilateral issues, it seems that adopting a coordinated approach toward the latest Kurdish independence referendum will be at the top of his agenda.

کد خبر: ۷۳۵۰۰۹

تاریخ: ۱۰ مهر ۱۳۹۶ - ۱۷:۴۶

Tabnak – As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Tehran for high-level talks with the Iranian officials on regional and bilateral issues, it seems that adopting a coordinated approach toward the latest Kurdish independence referendum will be at the top of his agenda.

Turkish President said Sunday he will travel to Tehran on October 4 to discuss the Kurdish referendum as well as the Astana talks on Syria with President Rouhani and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Erdogan said the roadmap that Turkey and Iran will follow in response to the controversial referendum and other regional developments will take shape after his visit.

However, it seems that the preparation for a coordinated approach to the Kurdish issue have been in the making even before his official visit. In this vein, Turkey's Military Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar came to Tehran on Sunday for talks with Iran's top military and political officials. According to Press TV, he is expected to tackle border security and counter-terrorism along with regional issues.

Akar arrived in Tehran late Sunday on the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Major General Mohammad Bagheri who visited Ankara in mid-August, the first by an Iranian chief of staff since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The situation in the region, especially in Syria, countering terrorism, border security and the controversial referendum held in the Iraqi Kurdistan last week were anticipated to be the topics for discussion, the Fars news agency reported.

After Monday’s meeting, the military brass of Iran and Turkey have voiced their opposition to the separation of Iraq’s Kurdish region and expressed support for the country’s territorial integrity.

Addressing reporters following the meeting, Bagheri pointed to common threats against Iran and Iraq and said the two countries have "common and similar” positions on the recent independence referendum held in the Kurdistan region and believe that it was unacceptable. Tehran and Ankara also believed that Iraq’s territorial integrity must be preserved, he added.

It should be noted that in defiance of Iraq’s stiff opposition, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a non-binding referendum on September 25 on secession from the central government in Baghdad. Official results showed 92.73 percent of voters backed the secession. Turnout was put at 72.61 percent.

Major regional and international parties have voiced serious concern over the secessionist move, saying it would compound the problems of the country, which is already busy with counter-terrorism operations against ISIS.

Iran and Turkey had warned that the controversial vote could lead to further instability in the entire Middle East, a region already ravaged with numerous conflicts and terror threats.