Turkish defense minister should look up Ottoman-era documents to see if Kurdistan exists: Peshmerga Ministry

“Can he tell us where did he [Akar] visit and what was the name of it?” the ministry asked rhetorically.
The KRG Peshmerga Minister, Shorish Ismael, walks alongside his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar (left) at the Kurdistan Region's Erbil International Airport, Jan. 18, 2021. (Photo: Turkish Defense Ministry)
The KRG Peshmerga Minister, Shorish Ismael, walks alongside his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar (left) at the Kurdistan Region's Erbil International Airport, Jan. 18, 2021. (Photo: Turkish Defense Ministry)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga on Sunday responded to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar recent comment that denied the existence of the Kurdistan Region. 

The ministry described the Turkish official’s remarks as “surprising” since they outright deny the very existence of a “historical, demographic, and geographic reality”.

Akar made the comment -- in which he categorically denied the existence of Kurdistan, including Iraqi Kurdistan -- during a recent session in Turkey's parliament. 

Akar visited Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region in January, where he was received by Peshmerga Minister Shorish Ismael at Erbil International Airport.

“Can he tell us where did he [Akar] visit and what was the name of it?” the ministry asked rhetorically.

The ministry also stated that if the Turkish minister doubts the existence of Kurdistan, he should “look back at Ottoman-era documents and history to see whether Kurdistan exists or not.”

“The mentality of denying a nation and its geography has always sparked tensions and issues and it would lead nowhere,” the statement added.

Akar made his controversial remarks during an exchange with a member of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey’s parliament on Wednesday.

The discussion was about reports claiming Turkey used chemical weapons against its arch-enemy the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraqi Kurdistan, Duvar English reported

The Turkish minister was upset by the HDP lawmaker's use of the word “Kurdistan”.

"There is no Kurdistan in Turkey or elsewhere," Akar said, prompting a follow-up question from the MP.

“Doesn’t Iraqi Kurdistan exist?" the lawmaker asked. 

“No,” Akar replied.