ANKARA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Turkey supports the Baghdad 's operation in Kirkuk, and is ready for any kind of cooperation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"Turkey is closely following the steps by the Iraqi Government to reinstitute its constitutional sovereignty in Kirkuk," after the referendum held by the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the ministry said in a written statement.

"We welcome the Iraqi government's statement that the presence of the members of the PKK will not be tolerated in Kirkuk and that the mobilization of these groups would be considered as a declaration of war," read the statement.

The ministry emphasized the importance Turkey attaches to the protection of Iraq's political unity and territorial integrity, saying it is ready for any kind of cooperation with Baghdad on the termination of the PKK presence in Iraqi territories.

Turkish National Security Council also said on Monday in a statement it backed Baghdad's operation in Kirkuk.

The two statements came as the Iraqi government launched an offensive against the KRG's positions in Kirkuk. The start of the offensive led to the withdrawal of the KRG Peshmerga forces from a number of key locations.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, resumed its 30-year armed campaign against the Turkish state in July 2015 after a brief reconciliation period.