04.12.2025 14:30
During Masoud Barzani's visit to Şırnak, the sight of his bodyguards with long-barreled weapons sparked controversy in politics, while AK Party Diyarbakır Deputy Galip Ensarioğlu drew attention with his statement, "In this process, we need to overlook and not hear some things."
Mesud Barzani's visit to Turkey to attend a symposium in the Cizre district of Şırnak and the images of his heavily armed bodyguards sparked intense discussions in Ankara. While reactions continue, AK Party Diyarbakır Deputy Galip Ensarioğlu drew attention with his evaluation on the matter.
"STATEMENTS THAT WILL CREATE TENSION SHOULD BE AVOIDED IN THIS PROCESS" Speaking to Channel-8 television, Ensarioğlu stated that Turkey is going through a critical period and said that the images of Barzani's bodyguards should not be exaggerated.
Ensarioğlu, who stated, "In this critical process, we should avoid harsh expressions, ignore some things, and not hear them," also emphasized that he does not represent the government.
"TURKEY HAS HAD ARMORED TANKS IN THE REGION FOR YEARS" Pointing out that Barzani is a symbolic figure for the Kurdish community, Ensarioğlu expressed the opinion that the issue has been exaggerated. He reminded that state officials traveling from Turkey to the region also traveled with teams protected by heavy weapons, saying, "Everyone knows that all state officials going from Turkey to northern Iraq are accompanied by special operations bodyguards with heavy weapons. Turkey's tanks and armored vehicles have been there for years in Duhok and Amediye."
Ensarioğlu noted that even during past periods when identity checks were conducted, this situation was not a problem, and the regional administration did not turn it into an international crisis.
Galip Ensarioğlu "SOCIAL MEDIA HAS EXAGGERATED IT TOO MUCH" Ensarioğlu stated that the images of Barzani's bodyguards have been exaggerated excessively by social media, saying, "The images of the two private security personnel next to Barzani have been greatly exaggerated on social media. This misunderstanding needs to be quickly rectified."
BAHÇELİ HAD SHOWN A STRONG REACTION The images from Barzani's visit to Cizre were harshly criticized by many political figures, including MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli. Bahçeli described this image as "The sight of foreign uniformed soldiers with heavy weapons roaming on homeland soil is, in a word, a disgrace."