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
