Turkish Prez Erdogan threatens Kurds with famine over referendum, says ‘must give up on independence or go hungry’

Ankara, September 27: The Kurdistan referendum has been a huge debate on yesterday’s TV sets, and so it rules today as well. Up until recently, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that Iraqi Kurds will “not be able to find food” if Ankara decides to halt the flow of trucks and oil into the region, adding that all military and economic sanctions are on the table.

 

Erdogan then warned that Israel’s support would be insufficient to sustain the Iraqi Kurds’ drive for independence and would not save them from international isolation. He added that Tel Aviv does not exercise sufficient leverage over the world community. The Israel reference comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for an independent Kurdistan earlier this month, while taking aim at Ankara's support of Hamas.

 

However, the Turkish President's comments come just one day after the KRG held an independence referendum, prompting Erdogan to accuse the KRG's president, Massoud Barzani, of “treachery” over the vote. KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani has stressed, however, that the vote is not binding. Rather, it is aimed at prompting negotiations with Baghdad and neighboring countries over a peaceful breakaway of the region from Iraq. However, Baghdad has said it will not hold talks with the KRG on the results of the “unconstitutional” referendum.

Turkey, Iran, and Syria are against the secession of the region, fearing it will inflame separatism among their own ethnic Kurdish populations. Meanwhile, Ankara and Baghdad banded together in a show of force on Tuesday, with their militaries holding joint military exercises in southeast Turkey, near the border with Iraq's Kurdistan Region.