Bagheri Meets Erdogan; 'Shared View on Kurdish Independence Referendum in Iraq'

Reports indicate that Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, met and discussed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, August 16. Following the meeting, Bagheri stated that Ankara and Tehran share a common viewpoint regarding the independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan. According to AFP, this meeting took place at the Turkish Presidential Palace in Ankara, and General Hulusi Akar, Chief of the Turkish General Staff, was also present. The Turkish state news agency reported that the meeting lasted 50 minutes but did not provide further details. Turkey and Iran have differing views on the civil war in Syria; while the Islamic Republic supports Bashar al-Assad's government, Turkey backs opposition groups. Erdogan previously referred to Iran's approach in Iraq and Syria as 'Persian nationalism' and stated that such actions must cease. Major General Bagheri led an 'unprecedented' delegation to Turkey on Tuesday, meeting with political and military officials. After his discussions with the Turkish president and military and security officials, he told IRNA: 'During this trip, we discussed important regional issues, including the decision for the independence referendum in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in early October.' He added: 'Both Iranian and Turkish sides emphasized and declared that if this referendum occurs, it will be the basis for the beginning of a series of tensions and conflicts within Iraq, the repercussions of which will affect neighboring countries.' The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces noted that 'holding the independence referendum in the Kurdistan region of Iraq will involve Iraq, Iran, and Turkey,' stating: 'For this reason, the officials of both countries emphasize that such an action is not feasible and should not take place.' The President of the Kurdistan region of Iraq announced in mid-June that the independence referendum would be held on September 25. The announcement of the Kurdish independence referendum has drawn negative reactions from Iraq's neighbors, namely Iran and Turkey, each of which has a significant Kurdish population. The United States has also called for delaying this referendum, but the Kurdistan Regional Government has rejected this request. Additionally, the Iranian Chief of Staff mentioned in this interview that Erdogan will visit Iran soon. Regarding the outcomes of his trip and meeting with Erdogan, he stated: 'The Turkish president also announced that he would travel to Tehran soon, and a joint strategic commission between the two countries will be held with the presence of officials from both sides, aimed at developing economic, political, cultural, and military relations, which will take place shortly.' According to IRNA, the Iranian Chief of Staff also met with Hulusi Akar and on Wednesday with Nurettin Canikli, the Turkish National Defense Minister. During this trip, Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Ground Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qassem Rezaei, commander of Iran's border guards, and several senior military officials accompanied Bagheri. This three-day visit began on Tuesday.