Dear Minister,
First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your new office. With your appointment, you also carry the pride of more than 60 million Kurds. I am one of them.
I am writing to you not only as a Kurd, but also as a witness of history. In 1991, as a young assistant doctor in anesthesiology, I arrived in the region of Batufa in Kurdistan. It was a time of great darkness. Millions of people were fleeing, families had lost everything, villages were destroyed and cities lay in ruins.
The Iraqi war machine had destroyed more than 5,000 villages and 12 cities. At the same time, thousands of Kurdish villages were also destroyed by the Turkish army. For many people, this meant not only the loss of their homes, but also the loss of security and their future.
My task was to provide first medical assistance to returning refugees. During that time I also met the Dutch soldiers who were stationed in Batufa. I still remember their humanity. They were friendly, respectful, professional and always ready to help.
I saw with my own eyes how Dutch soldiers carried sacks of flour on their shoulders to bring them to the refugees. In a time filled with fear and destruction, such gestures were small lights of hope.
When the day came that the soldiers had to return to their homeland, the sadness among the people was great. The inhabitants of Batufa even demonstrated for the Dutch battalion to stay. They wrote a letter thanking the soldiers for their help and asking them not to leave.
This letter later came into my hands, and I handed it over to the War Museum in The Hague so that this story would not be forgotten. Unfortunately, I did not make a copy and did not receive confirmation of the transfer. But the memory of that moment remains alive.
Minister,
Kurdistan taught me a simple but powerful lesson: never give up.
Sometimes history is not only made of great political decisions, but of small human gestures. I saw soldiers carrying flour sacks for refugees and bringing hope to people in despair. These images have stayed deeply in my memory.
Kurdistan taught me that a people can lose everything – their houses, their villages and their cities. But as long as people keep their dignity, their hope and their courage, no one can destroy their future.
Therefore one truth remains for me:
A people that does not give up can never be defeated.
Thank you Dersim.
Thank you Afrin.
P.S.: The photo was taken in Batufa, Kurdistan, in 1991.
The seated person in the picture is me – at that time a young assistant doctor trying to provide medical help and a little hope during a time of war.
Once again: Thank you to the soldiers of the Netherlands. Thank you Dilan. And thank you to everyone who helped us during those difficult times.