An atmosphere of peace, not of farewell

Saturday, Nov. 16, was a historic day for the city of Diyarbakir, the heart of Turkey’s Kurdish region. Invited to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s historic visit to Diyarbakir were Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and Kurdish musician Sivan Perwer. Barzani was last in Diyarbakir 21 years ago, and Perwer 37 years ago. As Barzani expressed his support for peace, Perwer and fellow musician İbrahim Tatlises joined together to sing a Kurdish song, drawing tears from all who were present. Barzani and Perwer entered the country at the Habur border crossing near the district of Silopi (Sirnak province) around 7 a.m. Barzani was met at the border by a crowd of people that included Mehmet Emin Dindar, AKP deputy from Sirnak; Mustafa Akgun, deputy governor of Sirnak province; Avni Usta, Sirnak chief of police; and Mehmet Demir, AKP provincial chairman for Sirnak province. Following a 3½-hour journey, Barzani and Perwer were met at the city limits of Diyarbakir by nearly 3,000 people, including Altan Tan, BDP deputy from Diyarbakir.

A call for normalization

In his speech at the ceremony, Barzani appealed to the people to support the peace process, and thanked Erdogan for allowing him this opportunity. Barzani said, “The time when a Kurdish youth can die at the hands of a Turkish youth, or a Turkish youth can die at the hands of a Kurdish youth, must end. This is a historic day, a very precious day. I am with you here in Diyarbakir, bringing greetings to the people of Turkey from the people of Kurdistan. We have entered an era in which history will be written anew. This is the era of mutual acceptance, of living together as brothers. When this peace process was announced, Erdogan began by stating that there would be no naysaying from now on in Diyarbakir. Today, I am very happy; today, a Turkish leader is working for brotherhood. The time has come for peaceful coexistence in the Middle East. Peaceful coexistence should be our fundamental principle. The wars that have been fought have been to everyone’s detriment.”

Barzani affirmed that peace had been declared, saying the following: “I thank Prime Minister Erdogan: he has taken very bold steps, and has chosen the path of peace. What I wish is for my Kurdish brothers and sisters, my Turkish brothers and sisters, to lend their support to this peace plan. The war for peace is a tough war. Believe me, without individual bravery, the war for peace cannot be won. However long the road to peace may be, it is better than even an hour of fighting. As Kurdish and Turkish brothers and sisters, we must support peace. We will support the peace process. It would have been impossible for me to speak here 15 to 20 years ago. This is the fruit of our fraternal relations. I believe the peace process will attain its goal. We must allow as much time as is needed. I am very happy to be with you. I wish happiness upon all of you. Finally, I would like to say these words in Turkish: Long live the brotherhood of Turks and Kurds. Long live peace, long live freedom, long live the brotherhood of Turks and Kurds. May they live in peace and liberty. I wish you all success.”