ankara turkey border northern iraq remain open although mean remain turkish customs minister say wednesday add number truck pass decrease bulent tufenkci also say believe kurdish independence referendum northern iraq would big impact turkish trade baghdad president tayyip erdogan say iraqi kurds would go hungry country halt flow truck oil across border warn turkey could take military economic measure neighbor referendum habur border gate open see number vehicles pass decrease tufenkci say refer main border cross northern iraq habur border gate open mean remain open say comment broadcast live television turkey home region large kurdish population battle three-decade insurgency largely kurdish southeast fear referendum hold early week inflame separatist tension home continue trade iraqi central government iran via sea airways tufenkci say turkey long northern iraq main link outside world turkish oil pipeline connect northern iraq global energy market iraq include kurdish region turkey third-largest export market 2016 accord imf data turkish export country total 8.6 billion behind germany unite kingdom turkey 's border northern iraq remain open minister say