Turkey will ‘soon’ close borders with Iraqi Kurdistan - Erdogan

Ankara will “soon” close its border crossing with Iraqi Kurdistan and airspace after the disputed referendum on independence, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Thursday. “Airspace will be closed… the border will also be shut soon,” Erdogan said in a televised speech. “How will you [the Iraqi Kurds] have imports and exports then?” AFP quoted him as saying. Erdogan’s comments came a day after his visit to Iran, where both countries confirmed their opposition to Iraqi Kurdish aspirations of independence. The Turkish president reaffirmed his belief that only Israel was in favor of Iraqi Kurdish independence.