DIYARBAKIR
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani on Saturday served as witnesses in a collective wedding ceremony in Turkey's sotheastern Diyarbakir province.
The collective wedding in which 400 couples were married, gathered the bulk of the Turkish cabinet and many state officials including the governor of Diyarbakir.
Ibrahim Tatlises and Sivan Perwer, two iconic folk singers of Kurdish descent, were also present in the ceremony, the latter returning to Turkey after living in exile for 37 years.
While addressing to the newly-wed couples, Prime Minister Erdogan reiterated his call to families for having four children.
During the ceremony, Tatlises and Perwer took the stage and talked to the couples both in Turkish and Kurdish languages before performing some of their most popular songs as a duo.
Erdogan congratulated both artists for their support to the peace process.
After the ceremony at the local sports hall, Erdogan and Barzani attended the opening ceremony of a new mosque.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
