During the 44th Congress of the International Association of Francophone Mayors in Lausanne, Switzerland, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo told Governor of Erbil Omed Khoshnaw that they plan to name a street in Paris after the peshmerga.

On the sidelines of a meeting with the governor of #Erbil, the mayor of #Paris stated they have a plan to open a street named after the #Peshmerga in Paris as a tribute to the Peshmerga and their heroism, struggle and sacrifice in the fight against terrorism. pic.twitter.com/W099mwlFMa

— Ministry of Peshmerga (@KRG_MOPE) May 25, 2024

The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs said this is “a tribute to the peshmerga and their heroism, struggle, and sacrifice in the fight against terrorism.”

Read More: The Kurds Have No Better Friends than France

The Kurdistan Region and the French government have close ties. In 2008, France became one of the first countries to open a consulate in Erbil.

Moreover, France has supported the peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIS since 2014. France also played a crucial role in raising global awareness of Saddam Hussein’s persecution of Kurds in 1991, leading to the creation of a no-fly zone over the Kurdistan Region.

Read More: PM Barzani’s Visit to Paris Bolsters French-Kurdish Ties

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani visited France on February 15, 2023, and met with France’s President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher and Mayor Hidalgo, to discuss bilateral ties.