Regional and international authorities are expressing deep concern over the Kurdistan Region of Iraq's decision to proceed with an independence referendum next Monday.
The parliament of the autonomous region has met for the first time in two years to confirm the decision to hold the vote on independence from Iraq.
Kurdistan Democratic Party MP Omed Khoshnaw says Kurdish politicians have been seeking independence for a century.
''We've been waiting for more than a hundred years to have a state. We hope to achieve our dream on September 25th and have a democratic state."
Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi is reported as saying the vote could jeopardise gains achieved by the Kurds under the self-rule arrangement.
Turkey is concerned about repercussions involving its Kurdish population, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to meet with Dr Abadi.
"We are going to discuss it during the National Security Council meeting, which we moved forward from September 27th to September 22nd. We are going to have the cabinet meeting on the same day. Our stance will be discussed, and the decision will be made. Thus, Turkey will announce its ultimate position on the referendum. This will also be an item on the agenda during my meeting with US president Donald Trump."
President Erdogan is yet to approve or oppose the referendum in clear terms, but some members of the Turkish public have already voiced strong disapproval.
Soon after the vote was announced, Turkey's opposition Nationalist Movement Party took to the streets of Istanbul with hundreds of protesters.
They want the Turkish government to intervene and stop the public vote.
Protester Kader Cakan is among those saying they fear a bid for separatism in their country's south-east, which has a large Kurdish population.
"I think this is a national matter. The Turkish state must step in and prevent this. Turkey must show its strength."
The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as the PKK, has battled the Turkish government for the past 30 years.
One Nationalist Movement Party member says the vote would give the PKK more power and lead to violence in the disputed oil city of Kirkuk.
Kirkuk is claimed by both the Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
"If Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani does not give up this referendum, this uprising will end in Kirkuk. We call on everyone to know their places."
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has warned the referendum could distract from what he calls the greater issue of IS's regional operation.
Mr Guterres has asked the Iraqi and Kurdistan Region governments to concentrate on defeating IS and resolve national issues with dialogue and patience.
The United States and other Western countries have issued similar calls, urging the respective governments to concentrate on groups like IS, or Daesh.
But Masoud Barzani says nothing has happened to change plans to proceed with the referendum on the scheduled day.
"We still haven't heard a proposal that can be an alternative to the Kurdistan referendum. We defeated the legend of Daesh, and we thought that they would reward us and bless our decision to have a state. But on the contrary, they stood against us. Therefore, we will not pay heed to them."
Hundreds of Kurds have marched in support of the decision after it was announced.
