Kurdish referendum results 'null and void': Turkey

The results of referendum which will take place in Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in north of Iraq are "null and void", Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

We don't recognize this initiative which lacks every legal basis and legitimacy in the aspects of international laws and Iraqi constitution, said the ministry statement.

In a separate travel warning, the ministry said it strongly recommended that Turkish citizens in the Iraqi Kurdish provinces of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniya should leave as soon as possible if they are not obliged to stay.

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

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

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

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