DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — The site of the Kurdish flag prominently waving over a Turkish airport recently evoked much the same reaction as a matador's cape taunting a bull.

On Feb. 26, Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and his entourage arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Barzani has visited Turkey numerous times since the inception of the KRG, Iraq's only autonomous region. Some people have welcomed him, some have not, but there has not been a sustained, bitter debate until now.

For the first time, the KRG flag was raised alongside the Iraqi flag at the airport reception and also at Barzani's meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. Although Yildirim defended the flag's presence, a bellicose dispute erupted. Interestingly, the KRG flag was not displayed at Barzani’s meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Although they don’t have a state, Kurds treat this flag as the symbol of a state. First flown in 1920 by those seeking an independent Kurdistan, it became the official flag of the region after Kurdish autonomy was recognized. Many Kurdish organizations in Iran, Iraq and Turkey use the flag.