Hundreds of thousands celebrate Nowruz in Diyarbakir, Turkiye
Shafaq News/ On Friday, hundreds ofthousands gathered in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir to celebrateNowruz, which marks the start of a new year and arrival of spring.
Large crowds filled the city’s mainsquare to celebrate from early morning, joined by local officials and politicalrepresentatives. Organizers did not provide an official turnout figure.
This year’s celebration took onadded political significance amid speculation over a potential revival of peacetalks between the Turkish state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party(PKK), designated a terrorist group by Turkiye, the United States and theEuropean Union. Ocalan, the PKK's founder, has been imprisoned on Imrali Islandsince 1999.
In a written message, Kurdish leaderMasoud Barzani expressed support for a peaceful resolution and voiced hope forOcalan’s release, adding hope that the “suffering of the Kurdish people inSyria would come to an end.”
Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani,in a separate address to Diyarbakir residents, called the moment a “historicopportunity” and urged unity to push the process forward. “Peace should notonly be seen as a goal, but as a path to rebuilding communities, fosteringcoexistence, and securing long-term stability,” President Barzani said.
Between 15 and 20 million Kurds livein Turkiye, mainly in the eastern and southeastern provinces, with asignificant population in Istanbul.
