In Kurdistan, a referendum on independence began. Its results can change the alignment of forces in the Middle East and leave Iraq without 60% of black gold.
Voters go to vote, congratulating each other. The atmosphere in the streets of Erbil - the capital of the autonomy - is festive, RIA Novosti correspondent reports.. Citizens come to the polling stations, find their names on the lists, and put a thumbprint opposite the answer "yes" or "no" to the question "Do you want the Kurdish region and Kurdish territories outside the country to become an independent state?".
Sites, according to the channel Rudaw, opened at 07:00 and close at 18:00. The participation was registered 5.2 million people. There are 6846 polling stations and 1737 commissions.
Over 400 international observers follow the voting process. The referendum is covered by over 600 journalists, one third of them are representatives of foreign media, the High Independent Electoral Commission of Iraqi Kurdistan.
President of the Autonomy Massoud Barzani has already voted. To answer the questions of numerous journalists, he did not. Other Kurdish politicians are actively voting, in particular, the influential Talabani clan and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan that rivals Barzani.
The results of the referendum will be known one day after the completion of the work of the polling stations. Following the vote, the region will remain part of Iraq or separate to form a new independent state, recalls "The Newspaper. RU". In the second case, Iraq will remain without more than half the hydrocarbon resources.
Iraq - the second largest producer of oil in OPEC. This country, according to the oil minister Jabbar Al-Luaybi, daily produces about 4.32 million barrels of black gold. And Kurdistan oil, as it is commonly believed, accounts for 60% of all extracted in the country.
The autonomy government estimates the region's reserves of 45 billion barrels - more than 6 billion tons - of black gold). And the light cost price of its extraction is low - about $ 2 per barrel, as in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The largest oil reserves in Iraqi Kurdistan - the sixth in the world.
All neighbors of Kurdistan oppose its independence. And in Baghdad they did not allow conducting a referendum, calling it unconstitutional. In Iran, the results of voting do not recognize, but in Turkey they threaten.
Despite the fact that the majority of the population is likely to vote in favor, the region is unlikely to immediately become independent, said Gevorg Mirzayan, an associate professor of the political science department at the Financial University under the government of the Russian Federation.
The ancient people of Kurds live in Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran. However, despite the strength of 40 million, they still do not have their own state.
The most difficult thing for them is in Iran, where they have total control over them. In Turkey, the Kurds are fighting for independence, but so far to no avail.
And in Syria, according to experts, they are unlikely to be able to retain captured territory under the noise of the civil war.
The easiest way is to gain independence for the Kurds in Iraq, where they not only control the territory, govern it. This referendum was not the first, one was held in 2005.
Iraqi Kurdistan has an experienced battle-worthy army, oil fields and the status of the most peaceful and secure place in the Middle East. There are going to rest the Arabs from neighboring countries.