"Dear Brothers, is there anything called Kurdistan in my country or in our country?" he posited supporters in Erzincan province during his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) election campaign on Tuesday.
"If they are really interested in Kurdistan, let them go to northern Iraq where there is Kurdistan,” he added referring to the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
It followed a video that showed HDP co-chair Sezai Temelli telling at a party meeting in parliament: “We will win in Kurdistan and will make the AKP and MHP [Nationalist Movement Party] lose in the west," referring to cities in the west of the country.
#Temelli: İstanbul ile Adana’daki oyumuz ile Cizre, Silopi, Şırnak halkına selam edeceğimizi asla unutmayalım. Emin olun ki HDP'ye Muş’ta vurulan mührün sesi de İstanbul’da duyulacak. pic.twitter.com/Wp0D2zgt5t
— HDP (@HDPgenelmerkezi) February 12, 2019
He also played a series of videos that included HDP officials which allegedly showed their support for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Erdogan blamed the opposition parties like Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the nationalist IYI Party for "walking shoulder-to-shoulder" with the HDP, referring to both parties’ close relations with the HDP during the parliamentary and parliamentary elections in June.
Cumhurbaşkanımız Erdoğan, Erzincan Mitingi'nde konuşuyor... https://t.co/mHzlxJ9fA3
— AK Parti (@Akparti) February 26, 2019
Temelli’s speech also was criticized by the MHP leader Devlet Bahceli on February 13.
HDP’s spokesperson was not immediately available to comment.
Using the word “Kurdistan” is banned in Turkey, except when it refers to Kurdistan Region. Turkish leaders, including Erdogan, have used it for the same purpose before. When former Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani visited Turkey in 2013, he was warmly welcomed and Flag of Kurdistan was shown at most of his meetings with Turkish officials.
In 2017, Kurdish lawmaker Osman Baydemir was barred from parliament for telling the speaker of Turkish parliament that Kurdistan is in his heart.
Kurds use “Kurdistan” to refer to predominately-Kurdish areas not only in Turkey, but Iran, Iraq, Syria, Armenia — areas they believe should have been recognized numerous times in the 20th Century, but was not.
Turkey’s constitution stipulates: “The statutes and programs, as well as the activities of political parties shall not be contrary to the independence of the State, its indivisible integrity with its territory and nation ..."
The AKP government recently targeted Kurdish parties whose titles bear the word “Kurdistan” — threatening to close them if the word is not dropped.
Kurdish nationalism is emboldened particularly in Turkey during election campaigns. Turkey will hold local and municipal elections on March 31. Newroz, celebrated by Kurds as their new year, falls on March 20 with days of festivals planned throughout Kurdish areas.
