Iraq and Turkey criticise Kirkuk council's KRG independence referendum vote

The council in Kirkuk, an ethnically mixed region of northern Iraq, voted on Tuesday to take part in next month's independence referendum, councillors said.

The central government in Baghdad is strongly opposed to Iraqi KRG's planned September 25 referendum, which is non-binding but could lead to independence.

In Tuesday's vote, 22 of the 24 present councillors in the 41-member Kirkuk council voted in favour of holding the referendum, said councillor Hala Nur Eddine.

Turkmen and Arab members of the council boycotted the vote, according to the Turkish foreign ministry.

Speaking to journalists afterwards, Kirkuk governor Najm Eddine Karim described the vote as a "historic event".

But Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi denounced the decision, which he called "not serious", while his spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said the vote was "illegal and unconstitutional".

"Provinces that don't belong to the autonomous region (of Kurdistan) can't impose decisions without the federal government's approval, and Kirkuk is one of these regions," Hadithi said.

Turkey’s reaction

The plans to hold the referendum have been criticised by neighbouring Turkey and Iran.

The Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement that the Kirkuk's council decision was "another link in a chain of mistakes" and "once more a serious violation of the Iraqi constitution."

“The unacceptable decision of the Kirkuk Provincial Council has been boycotted by the Turkmen and Arab groups, the main constituents of Kirkuk,” the statement added.