ANKARA 

The Syrian regime has rejected a Kurdish referendum on the secession of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region.

"We in Syria only recognize a united Iraq and reject any measure that leads to the fragmentation of Iraq," Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem was cited as saying by the official SANA news agency. 

"This step is rejected and we do not recognize it,” he said, adding that he informed his Iraqi counterpart of this stance. 

This was the first official reaction of the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad on the vote, which is being held on Monday in areas under the control of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), including areas disputed between Baghdad and Erbil. 

Baghdad, Turkey, Iran, the U.S., and the UN have all spoken out against the poll, saying it would distract from the ongoing fight against Daesh and further destabilize the region. 

Turkey on Monday announced it would regard the results of the Kurdish referendum as “null and void” and Iraq’s central government has threatened to intervene militarily if the vote leads to violence. 

KRG President Masoud Barzani has said a “Yes” win would not result in an automatic declaration of independence but would simply lead to further negotiations with Baghdad.