Turkey to build closer ties with Iraqi gov’t post referendum: PM

CAIRO – 25 September 2017: Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said Monday that Turkey will establish closer relations with the Iraqi Central government following Kurdistan’s independence referendum, Reuters reported.

In his statements, which aired on Turkish media and his official Twitter account, Yildrim added that Turkey “would respond if its interests were threatened.”

Previously, the Turkish Prime Minister gave a statement during a press conference saying that his country “discusses imposition of economic, political and military sanctions in retaliation for Kurdistan’s referendum.”

Earlier on Monday, Turkish Customs Minister Bulent Tufenkci denying blocking Habur border gate with northern Iraq, says “remains open.”

At 7:00 a.m. Cairo local time, millions of Kurds headed to polling stations in northern Iraq to vote in the historic independence referendum despite international demands to call it off.