ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey will not recognize an independent Kurdistan if declared unilaterally. It is also opposed to the inclusion of the multi-ethnic province of Kirkuk in the referendum, the spokesperson of the Turkish presidency, Ibrahim Kalin, said on Wednesday.

Kalin added, however, that despite their “criticism” of the government in Erbil, they believe that maintaining relations with their neighbour is “important.”

“Let’s say that they held the referendum, what will they do with it?” Kalin asked rhetorically in an interview with a Turkish radio station.

“When they said we declared independence unilaterally, who will recognize it? Baghdad, Turkey, Iran, and the neighbouring countries do not recognize it, none of them. The Europeans and the United States have expressed their stance, too.”

He expressed his opinion that Kurds will only “drag themselves into a lot of problems.”

He accused “terrorist organizations” and their allies of portraying Turkey, especially President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as opposed to the achievements of Kurds and said western media is making the issue bigger than it is.

“We do not have any negative stance against Kurds in Iraq, nor against the Kurds in Syria, nor against any Kurds in other areas. The main reason behind our opposition to the referendum is because of the territorial and political unity of Iraq,” Kalin explained.

“First of all, we do not have any problems against Kurds. If we did, we would not have had this level of good relations with northern Iraq. Despite our criticism, we believe that these relations are important,” Kalin said.

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister and spokesperson of the Turkish government Bekir Bozdag told reporters on Tuesday that they call on Erbil to “reconsider” the decision to hold the referendum, adding that if held, it will further “instability” in the region.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu went even further, telling state broadcaster TRT on Wednesday that holding the referendum when Iraq has many problems already could “lead the country to civil war.”

The participation of disputed areas is of particular concern to Turkey.

The Kurdistan Region has said that the disputed areas, such as Kirkuk, that are defined by Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, will take part in the referendum, arguing that Baghdad did not implement the article before the deadline of 2007.

Kirkuk Governor Najmaldin Karim stated that his province is ready for the historic vote and that he expects positive results.

Saying the issue is a “sensitive” one for Turkey, Kalin disputed the authority of Erbil to proceed with the vote in Kirkuk “because Kirkuk is bound to Baghdad.”

“It is also known as the area that is called disputed area. In our history, Kirkuk has a special place. Kirkuk is a Turkmen city. There are also Kurds and Arabs there. If you include Kirkuk, too, in the referendum, the outcome is clear. The Turkmens and the Arabs who live there will not take part.”

Kirkuk has largely been under the control of Kurdish parties since the US-led invasion of Iraq 14 years ago. The Kurdish-led Brotherhood faction of the Kirkuk Provincial Council controls most of the seats.

Kirkuk came under the de facto control of the Kurdish Peshmerga in mid-2014 when the Iraqi army abandoned their positions in the face of ISIS advances.

Earlier this month, Turkey’s energy minister Berat Albayrak said that the referendum on independence will harm energy cooperation between Ankara and Erbil, warning that Erbil will pay a heavy price.

Kurdistan's President Masoud Barzani has said that they will not postpone the referendum, despite the objection of the Iraqi government and countries such as Turkey, a close ally.

The Kurdistan Region relies on Turkey to export oil through its Ceyhan pipelines to international markets. Erbil and Ankara also do billions of dollars in trade, with Kurdistan considered among the top three markets for Turkish exports, after Germany and the United Kingdom.