Confusion Reigns in Iraq-Kurd Oil Dispute

However there are also plenty of dissenting opinions, with many in Iraqi Kurdistan believing that it is in their best interests, and in Baghdad's interests, to abide by the agreement. Kurdish government spokesperson Dizayee put emphasis on this during his interview with NIQASH, saying that the region will continue to try to stick to the deal and that a delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan is already planning a visit to Baghdad to try and sort current problems out. The timing for such a visit has not yet been specified though, Dizayee said.

Iraqi Kurdish politicians in Baghdad have threatened that if some agreement isn't reached soon then they will leave Baghdad - and, they say, this includes Iraq's own President, the senior Iraqi Kurdish politician, Fuad Masum, and Iraq's Minister of Finance, Hoshyar Zebari.

For the ordinary people of Iraqi Kurdistan, who has the right numbers in terms of barrels per day or percentages of the deal done, doesn't matter. Most important to them is that the two sets of authorities start to find common ground.

The so-called financial blockade imposed by Baghdad last year has had a major effect on Iraqi Kurdistan, which is already struggling with increased costs of security and an influx of refugees due to the current crisis caused by extremists from the Islamic State group; the region's much-vaunted economic growth has slowed as salaries have been left unpaid and projects unfinished.

“A third party should get involved now,” says Warya Hawrami, who heads the DOR organisation in Iraqi Kurdistan, an NGO which publishes monthly reports on Kurdish oil production. “Or perhaps the Iraqi Parliament should step in and investigate to find out which figures are correct. The one thing that should not happen is that this situation go on forever - and the gap between Erbil and Baghdad should not widen any further.”