Iran, Turkey presidents oppose Kurdish state, ‘will ensure’ borders remain unchanged

Tehran and Ankara pledged Wednesday that they would ensure borders in the region remain unchanged after the recent Kurdish independence referendum in Iraq, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday. “We will not accept changing borders in the region,” Rouhani said at a news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran. Both Iran and Turkey opposed the referendum last week, and have sent troops to their borders with the Iraqi Kurdish region. Iraq’s central government also opposes the vote. “Turkey, Iran and Iraq have no choice but to take serious and necessary measures to protect their strategic goals in the region,” Reuters quoted Rouhani as saying.