ERBIL (Kurdistan Chronicle) — Kurdistan Region Prime Minister on Thursday was welcomed by Gérard Larcher, the President of the French Senate, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to discuss bilateral ties and closer cooperation.
During the meeting, Larcher praised the role of Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Forces in the war against the Islamic State (IS) and protecting religious and ethnic minorities, according to the readout of the meeting published on the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) official website.
The pair also stressed the need for a solution to the prolonged disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, as well as joint efforts by the regional and federal governments to implement the 2020 Sinjar agreement in order for the displaced Yezidi families to be able to return to their homes, the readout added.
Following the meeting, PM Barzani wrote on his official Twitter feed that they spoke about the challenges in the region, and the shared support to Yazidis, Christians and other communities who’ve sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region.
The ongoing reform plan of the KRG was also on the agenda of the meeting.
On the same day, the Kurdish leader was also welcomed by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, whom the prime minister called “a long-standing friend” of the people of Kurdistan.
During the meeting, PM Barzani thanked Mayor Hidalgo for the continued support Paris offers its sister city Erbil.
“I look forward to welcoming her and her team in Erbil later this year to explore joint projects between our capitals,” Kurdistan Region prime minister wrote on Twitter.
Earlier the day, PM Barzani had met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace where they discussed bilateral ties, the relations between Erbil and Baghdad, ways to bolstering investment and trade, and their cooperation in the ongoing efforts to eradicate IS.
“Together we helped safeguard the world from ISIS. Now we’re building trade and investment ties to sustain our peoples,” PM Barzani said after the meeting. “France is an ally with a common vision; enhancing our region and the security of Europe.”
Kurdistan and France enjoy close ties which are further strengthened by their partnership in the war against the Islamic State (IS) since 2014. The latter played a decisive role in pushing the world to react to Saddam Hussein’s persecutions against Kurds in 1991, which eventually led to the creation of a no-fly zone over the Kurdistan Region.
In August 2021, Macron visited Erbil and met with top Kurdish officials after attending the Baghdad Conference for Development and Cooperation in. He later visited Mosul to express solidarity with the survivors of IS atrocities, especially the Christian community of the Mosul Plains.
