Kurdish oil industry in the balance following referendum - The National

Kurdish oil industry in the balance following referendum - The National:

"The old adage that the Kurds have no friends but the mountains was reinforced last Monday, when most regional powers condemned the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s referendum on independence. The Kurds’ bid for statehood has been underpinned by the oil under their homeland’s mountains. And three major players, seeking that oil, have enabled these aspirations. Partly in response to the vote - 92 percent in favour of independence with 73 percent turnout - oil prices rose to a two-year high. Turkish president Recep Erdoğan, concerned about his own country’s large Kurdish minority, said Turkey might close the oil pipeline from Kurdistan to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, the region’s only route to export markets. The federal government in Baghdad has closed Kurdish airspace to international flights and sought to take back control of border posts. Iran also halted flights and closed its border. US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said the vote lacked legitimacy and reiterated the American policy favouring a united Iraq. It is a rare issue today that can unite the US, Iran, Turkey and Baghdad."



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