His remarks came during a meeting between al-Abadi and the head of the UN mission in Iraq, Jan Kubis, Anadolu Agency reported.

The meeting tackled government measures to impose the authority of the federal government in the disputed areas, airports and border crossings, al-Abadi’s office said in a statement.

The meeting also discussed the return of the displaced people and UN assistance to restore stability to areas recaptured from the Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS) group, according to the statement.

In September, the KRG held a controversial referendum on Kurdish regional secession, a vote decried by Baghdad as illegitimate.

The vote was criticized at the time by most regional and international actors, with many warning that it would distract from Iraq’s ongoing fight against terrorism and further destabilize the region.

In the weeks following the poll, Iraqi government forces moved into several parts of the country “disputed” between Baghdad and the Erbil-based KRG, including the oil-rich Kirkuk province.

The region’s parliament, which is meeting in the Kurdish capital Erbil, was told that Barzani had sent a letter saying he would not extend his term, his Kurdistan Democratic Party said.

“I refuse to continue in the position of president of the region after November 1,” Barzani’s letter said, according to a tweet by the party, Reuters reported. “I will remain as a Peshmerga (Kurdish fighter).”

A Kurdish official had said on Saturday that Barzani had decided to hand over the presidency without waiting for elections that had been set for Nov. 1 but which have now been delayed by eight months.

The region, which has been largely autonomous for years, has been in turmoil since holding an independence referendum a month ago that was opposed internationally and triggered military and economic retaliation from Iraq’s central government in Baghdad.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, in Tehran on Wednesday, Erdogan pointed to the latest developments in the region, including the independence vote held last Monday in the Iraqi Kurdistan and said Tehran and Ankara do not recognize the referendum.

“Currently, no country in the world supports the Iraqi Kurdistan Region’ independence except Israel,” the Turkish president said.

“In our opinion, a decision taken by sitting down at the (negotiating) table with Mossad is illegitimate and unacceptable,” he said, adding that Iran and Turkey have declared their firm stance on the issue.

He also said Tehran, Ankara, and Baghdad will take stricter measures to prevent the negative effects of the referendum.

The Iraqi Kurdistan Region went ahead with its plan to hold the referendum on September 25 although Iraq’s neighbors and countries in the Middle East, including Iran and Turkey, had voiced opposition to such a move and supported the Baghdad central government.

Thousands of Kurdish people in favor of KRG’s secession from Iraq took to the streets in Erbil that night, with some waving Israeli flags to celebrate.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the only leader in the region to endorse the referendum, while all neighbors have warned that the secession plan would bring instability to the region and disintegrate Iraq.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyib Erdogan in Tehran, President Rouhani reiterated Iran and Turkey’s opposition to any secessionist move in the region.

The Iraqi Kurdistan Region is a “good friend and brother” of Iran, and Tehran does not intend to put pressure on the Iraqi Kurdish people, but certain KRG leaders need to make up for the wrong decisions they have made, the Iranian president added.

Iran, Turkey and Iraq will have to achieve their “strategic objectives” in the region by taking “serious and necessary” measures, he added.

Pointing to the extensive talks he had held with the Turkish president about the Iraqi Kurdistan Region before the press conference, Rouhani said Tehran and Ankara are opposed to secessionist moves and to the escalation of sectarian and religious conflicts masterminded by outsiders.

Iran and Turkey maintain that Iraq and Syria must each remain a unified country, he added.

As regards the bilateral ties between Iran and Turkey, President Rouhani said the two governments are resolved to raise the value of annual trade exchange to $30 billion.

It has been decided that Turkey import more gas, the president said, adding that Iran would also embrace Turkish investment in the gas industry.

According to Rouhani, the two sides have also come up with plans to keep their three joint border crossings open around the clock as part of efforts to boost the transit of commodities.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Erdogan arrived in Tehran on Wednesday morning to attend the fourth round of strategic meetings between Iran and Turkey and to discuss the latest regional developments and the status of bilateral ties with Iranian officials.

Iran and Turkey signed four agreements on Wednesday to promote cooperation in various areas.

In a telephone conversation late on Sunday, Rouhani and Erdogan underlined that Tehran and Ankara enjoy common stance against the referendum.

The two presidents also said Iraq’s territorial integrity and national unity should never be undermined.

Rouhani said, “The coordination and cooperation of regional countries would be very important and influential in this regard and undoubtedly, the countries will not allow a new instability to be created in the region.”

As Iraq’s Kurds are rushing headlong into a vote for independence on Monday, all neighbors and countries in the Middle East, including Iran and Turkey, were trying to persuade the Erbil government to cancel the referendum.

They warned that the vote could unleash ethnic violence, tear Iraq apart and fracture the forces combatting Daesh (ISIL) terrorists.

The UN Security Council has also warned of the potentially destabilizing impact of the planned referendum.