Turkey would intervene if Iraqi Turkmens targeted, Foreign Minister says

Turkey's foreign minister warned on Monday that Ankara would intervene militarily if the Turkmen population in Iraq was targeted, marking its latest warning over the independence referendum in northern Iraq.

Voting began on Monday despite strong opposition from Iraq's central government and Turkey and Iran - both with significant Kurdish populations - as well as Western warnings the move could aggravate Middle East instability.

Çavuşoğlu also said that recent Russian bombing in Syria's Idlib had killed civilians and moderate opposition members and this would be discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visits Turkey.

The killing of civilians violates the Astana accord, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in an interview, adding that Moscow needed to be "careful".

Turkey will take two steps to normalise bilateral relations if Germany takes one step, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said.

He was speaking after German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc won a fourth consecutive term in German elections on Sunday.

"Germany should learn from its mistakes," Çavuşoğlu stated when asked about ties between the two countries, which have been hit by disagreements on a range of political and security issues.