“The Kurds are our faithful allies, they are our brothers in arms, and we will not abandon them,” France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot told French members of parliament on Tuesday, in response to a question from French MP Danielle Simonnet.
Barrot underlined that the Kurds have been a great ally in the fight against ISIS.
He also added that the Kurds will be represented at the international conference on Syria to be held in Paris on February 13. “The Kurds must be able to fully participate in the process of reclaiming their nation,” he added.
وەزیری دەرەوەی فەرەنسا @jnbarrot : «کوردهکان هاوپەیمانی وەفاداری ئێمەن، ئەوان له چهکدا برای ئێمەن و بە جێیان ناهێلین. ئاسایییه کە دەبێت کوردهکان بتوانن بە تەواوی بەشدار بن لە خاوەندارییەتیکردنەوەی نەتەوەکەیان». #DirectAN #QAG https://t.co/PBSBQGrT2F
— Yann Braem (@YannBraem) February 5, 2025
Minister Barrot also added that the Kurds should secure their place in the new Syria, and that France will support them.
Furthermore, he underlined that France supports mediation and dialogue between the new authorities in Damascus led by Ahmad al-Sharaa and the Syrian Kurds, and also between the Iraqi Kurds and Syrian Kurds.
On Thursday, January 16, President Masoud Barzani received Syrian Democratic Forces General Mazloum Abdi in Salahaddin to discuss Kurdish unity efforts in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. Furthermore, General Abdi also met with the Kurdish National Council in Western Kurdistan (northern Syria).
Read More: President Barzani Discusses Kurdish Unity with SDF Chief
President Masoud Barzani stressed that any new Syrian political system must recognize and accommodate Kurdish rights, demands, and distinct characteristics.
La France va-t-elle exiger de la Turquie un cessez-le-feu au Rojava et, sans ingérence, soutenir les revendications des Kurdes pour une Syrie unifiée, indépendante de la Turquie, qui respecte l'autonomie du Rojava ?
— Danielle Simonnet (@SimonnetDeputee) February 4, 2025
Cet après-midi, suite à mon retour du Rojava où je me suis… pic.twitter.com/Whs6AHeq49
These meetings come amid an initiative by France and the United States to bring Kurdish parties together in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, and the takeover of Damascus by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani also received a phone call from France’s President Emmanuel Macron on January 30, in which they exchanged views on the relations between Erbil and Baghdad, and the current situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Read More: Kurdistan Region President Congratulates Macron on Notre Dame Reopening
They also emphasized the need to ensure the rights of the Kurdish people in Syria are upheld.
President Nechirvan Barzani conveyed the appreciation of the Kurdistan Region for the support and amicable involvement of France and President Macron in aiding both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, particularly during challenging periods. He emphasized that the people of Kurdistan will always remember the assistance provided by France.
France was one of the first countries to open a consulate in Erbil in 2008, and supported the Kurdish peshmerga forces in the war against ISIS.
Additionally, after the September 2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum, President Macron broke the diplomatic embargo and invited President Nechirvan Barzani to the Elysee Palace in December 2017.
In July 2024, President Nechirvan Barzani attended the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and was received by President Macron.
