Head of Iran’s armed forces to pay 3-day visit to Turkey

The chief of the Iranian armed forces is scheduled to pay a 3-day visit to Turkey Tuesday to meet his counterpart and other senior officials, the official IRNA news agency reported, citing the Iranian military.

According to the report, Major General Mohammed Hossein Bagheri will meet with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar to discuss the "fight against terrorism, regional developments, bilateral relations in defense as well as border cooperation."

Bahgeri last month said the independence referendum by the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) was an "unacceptable move."

KRG President Masoud Barzani announced on June 7 the decision to hold a referendum. Since then, each neighboring country - Turkey, Iran and Iraq - has discouraged the KRG from holding an independence vote.

Moreover, the U.N, the EU, the U.S, Russia and the U.K. have also criticized the KRG's announcement for the referendum on independence, saying that the move would further intensify regional conflicts and would also harm efforts to fight Daesh in the region.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi also said that the upcoming Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum was not constitutional. Iran has also said that the referendum would not be "appropriate."