'Opening space for the Peshmerga is an act of treason'

The arrival of KDP leader Masoud Barzani in Cizre with his armed Peshmerga has become one of our main agenda items.

Seventeen years ago, Barzani—whom the then-AKP Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Cemil Çiçek, personally calleda bootlicker of the past —was welcomed at the Habur Border Gate by the Governor, the District Governor, and mayors.

He was also greeted by the Governor, District Governor, and mayors at the Habur Border Gate...

Deputy Interior Minister Münir Karaloğlu and numerous members of parliament were also present at the symposium he attended...

Setting aside the incidents where Barzani, in his speech at that symposium, expressed support for the process being conducted with the separatist terrorist organization, used the term "Mr." for both Erdoğan and the terrorist leader in İmralı, and thanked both of them; let us examine how accurately we are discussing the "Kurdish flag-waving," "camouflaged, and long-barreled armed" Peshmerga show.

The spark for the debate was ignited by Erdoğan's Chief Advisor, Mustafa Akış. Stating that the Peshmerga images were "inappropriate," Akış emphasized that Barzani holds no official position in Iraq, and therefore his bodyguards could never wear military uniforms or carry long-barreled weapons while on duty, before making the following comparison:

"In other words, the protocol that should be applied to Mr. Barzani is more or less the same as the protocol applied to Abdullah Gül, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, or Binali Yıldırım abroad."

Barzani, who once served as the president of Barzanistan, is being treated as equivalent to the former presidents and prime ministers of the Republic of Turkey, is he? Congratulations!..

Following Akış, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli spoke. While stating that he had "nothing to say" about Barzani being hosted, he reacted only to the Peshmerga issue and the exaggerated praise heaped upon Barzani, saying, "A 'Turkey without terrorism' is the dough of reunion that kneads our geography with mutual respect, love, unity, and solidarity. However, the sovereign rights and laws of the Republic of Turkey have unfortunately been violated. Whether you call it protocol rules or tradition, everything has been breached." In short, he laid the blame on Barzani.

What was the response from Barzani's office? It was claimed that "all security details and measures taken for the visit were implemented in accordance with the protocol agreement between the regional administration (KRG) and the relevant institutions of Turkey." In other words, they said, "Turkey was aware and gave its permission."

So, did Bahçeli, who poked Barzani with the pitchfork, also poke the government and its bureaucrats with the needle? No.

IS IT OKAY IF BARZANI APOLOGIZES TO BAHÇELİ?

Regarding the Barzani camp's statement about Bahçeli, "We thought that God had granted guidance to Devlet Bahçeli and that he had abandoned racism and chauvinism. However, it appears that he is still the old Grey Wolf, only now he is cloaked in sheep's clothing." Before these statements; what should we say about this comparison?

“Whenever high-level Turkish officials visit the Kurdistan Region, Turkey's special forces come with them, and no problems occur.”

It is clear that the 'bootlicker of yesterday' is being placed in the same category as Turkey's high-level officials, and that Barzanistan's aiding and abetting of the separatist terrorist organization is being equated with the situation in Cizre.

Following these developments, the debates have both accelerated and shifted in direction. AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik emphasized that Bahçeli was not targeting 'Mr. Barzani' but was only criticizing the Peshmerga footage, and he reacted to the statement made by Barzani's spokesperson, demanding that it be corrected immediately.

While the Ministry of Interior appointed two inspectors to investigate the Peshmerga footage, a bizarre statement also came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry, which did not explain how those Peshmerga arrived or with whose permission, announced regarding the statement targeting Bahçeli that 'an explanation has been requested from the KDP leadership and it has been demanded that the necessary actions be taken against those responsible immediately.'

Finally, Erdoğan also reacted only to the Bahçeli part of the incident, stating, “I would like to state that we never approve of the disrespectful and insolent statements targeting our alliance partner, Mr. Devlet Bahçeli... This grave mistake must be rectified and corrected as soon as possible.” he said.

So what, if Barzani were to say, as Ahmet Hakan suggested, 'Our spokesperson unfortunately made a foolish mistake. I am dismissing him immediately. I apologize to Mr. Bahçeli,' would that make everything okay?!

Let's look at Bahçeli's words such as, 'Those who want to see terrorists should focus on Barzani's face...', 'The Peshmerga leader chasing pipe dreams will meet a nightmare; if he persists in his stubbornness, he will surely find his ruin...', 'Mesut Barzani, the protector and supporter of the PKK, the hope of the murderers of our soldiers...', 'The Peshmerga is in the wake of Israel, which has evil intentions in the region...', 'If necessary, Barzani must be captured and brought here.' and...

the fact that 26 of our provinces, including Şırnak, have been shown in the so-called 'Greater Kurdistan' on maps published for years...

Not long ago, just 3 years ago, during a visit by Nadine Maenza, a commissioner from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), to Barzani's office, there was a map hanging in his office dated 1794, 'Turkey's new map in Asia' Let us move past the pose he struck in front of a map showing Ottoman lands as divided.

Over the past year, Ankara reacted to the terrorist leader in Syria meeting with PUK leader Bafel Talabani and signing an agreement on child soldiers with the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. For instance, while Erdoğan stated that the US should extradite this terrorist, who is wanted with a red notice, the then-Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said, “Ferhat Abdi Şahin, codenamed Mazlum Kobani, is a terrorist... Has the United Nations lost its mind? They are sitting at the same table and signing an agreement with him... This is a black mark.”

However, when Barzani received “Syrian Democratic Forces Commander” Mazlum Kobani at the beginning of this year, Ankara did not utter a word.

THESE EVENTS OCCURRED 10 DAYS BEFORE BARZANI ARRIVED

The reason we are revisiting past events and statements is as follows:

Ten days before Barzani’s arrival in Cizre, the “Middle East Peace and Security Forum” was held in Duhok. Mazlum Kobani, wearing a suit and tie, also attended this conference as a “surprise,” where he both spoke and met with the Barzanis.

According to allegations, this “surprise” was orchestrated by the US.

At that conference, Mazlum Kobani called for the “recognition of the Rojava Kurdish administration,” reiterated that they would not allow a return to central governance in Syria, and stated, “For 15 years, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah have been supporting Rojava.”

Nechirvan Barzani, a close friend of Ankara who acted as a mediator rather than just a supporter during the 'opening' process, also stated that a centralized system in Syria is not correct, adding that 'ensuring unity among Kurdish political factions is of vital importance for the protection of the rights and gains of the Kurds.'

It didn't end there; Mazloum Kobani also held a 'historic' meeting with Masoud Barzani. While Barzani pointed to the importance of unity between the Kurdish-nationalist structures in Syria—namely the SDF and the ENKS, which is affiliated with him—Kobani announced that the details of the Trump-Shara meeting, attended by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, were conveyed to them by the Ankara Ambassador and Trump's Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack.

Two days before Masoud Barzani arrived in Cizre, Nechirvan Barzani received an ENKS delegation and emphasized the 'necessity of unity and understanding among Kurdish factions.' The ENKS, in turn, thanked Barzani for his continuous role and support in resolving the Kurdish issue in Syria.

In 2012, Bahçeli had said, 'The fact that Peshmerga leader Barzani is organizing a meeting by bringing Syrian Kurds together and calling for unity indicates that the time bomb right next to us is about to explode,' and, 'This is a century-old trap, plotted and insidiously designed in the political laboratories of the West. The Turkish nation is about to be cornered in this direction.'

And what happened in Duhok was exactly another rehearsal of this.

However, not only did Ankara not hold the Barzanis accountable by asking, 'How can you invite a terrorist wanted with a red notice?', but 10 days later, it welcomed Masoud Barzani and his Peshmerga at the Habur border gate and hosted them in Cizre.

Can we say—surely they must not have been aware, otherwise it would be impossible, they wouldn't have allowed it; Bahçeli would have reacted to Barzani's arrival in this regard even before the Peshmerga aspect—can we really say that?!

WHEN THE PESHMERGA TRAMPLED OUR LAND ON OCTOBER 29

Moreover, this is not the first time the Peshmerga has violated our territory and sovereign rights!..

Let us recall their entry through the Habur border gate with heavy weaponry on October 29, 2014, Republic Day, to assist the PKK/PYD in saving Kobani.

So, what did Bahçeli compare this scene to at the time, and who did he blame in the first place? Let us summarize:

“On the 91st anniversary of our Republic, Turkey has been challenged... The 91-year legacy has been overshadowed... Turkey and our great nation have been humiliated once again.” Bahçeli, who made these remarks, compared the event to the Habur disgrace of 2009, the glorification of Barzani in Diyarbakır in 2013, and even the events during the occupation of İzmir on May 15, 1919, and Istanbul on March 16, 1920, accusing the AKP government as follows:

- “The Prime Minister and his government, who embrace the enemy, act as hosts to terrorists and their supporters, and turn our country into a terror corridor, will not be able to recover from this indignity and spinelessness... The President, the Prime Minister, and the government are intentionally violating the Constitution and committing a crime... Terror barons have staged a show of force against our noble nation on October 29 with the complicity of the AKP. This is not a situation to be tolerated... In Turkish legal legislation, the equivalent of this is definitely treason. And the perpetrators will certainly be held accountable.”

- “The Peshmerga is being welcomed with convoys from Habur to Suruç, under a flood of affection, applause, and cheers, as if they had occupied Turkey, as if they were challenging us... The Peshmerga administration is a pirate state. Opening space and a corridor for the Peshmerga is definitely an act of treason.”

One final reminder regarding Kirkuk, to which Bahçeli once assigned the license plate number 82.

Remember when Masoud Barzani threatened in 2007, 'If Turkey intervenes in Kirkuk, we will intervene in affairs concerning Diyarbakır and other cities in Turkey'? Well, Google Maps, following an initiative by some parties in its latest update, has begun showing a large portion of 'disputed territories,' including Kirkuk, within the map of the 'Kurdistan region'.

If there is anyone left who cares about Kirkuk, let them be informed!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

December 5, 2025