On Tuesday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani extended his warmest congratulations to France’s President Emmanuel Macron and the French people on Bastille Day, which is marked each year with a reception by France’s Consulate General in Erbil.

Bastille Day, celebrated on July 14, is France’s national holiday and commemorates the French Revolution and the values of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The date marks the storming of the Bastille fortress in Paris on July 14, 1789.

“On Bastille Day, we join the people of France in celebrating the values of liberty, equality, fraternity, and democracy that this historic day represents,” President Nechirvan Barzani posted on X.

“I extend my warmest congratulations to President @EmmanuelMacron and the French people. France has long been a steadfast friend and trusted partner of the Kurdistan Region.” 

President Nechirvan Barzani also underlined that the Kurdistan Region remains “deeply grateful for its unwavering support during our most challenging times, and its continued commitment to peace, stability, and our shared values.”

The Kurdistan Region and France have close historical and political ties, and President Nechirvan Barzani enjoys close ties to President Macron. 

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France has supported the Peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIS since 2014 and still has troops in the Kurdistan Region. Last year, President Masoud Barzani and Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo inaugurated “Peshmerga Path” at Parc Andre Citroen, a tribute dedicated to honoring the courage and sacrifice of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

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French leaders and intellectuals, especially Danielle Mitterrand, the wife of the then-French President Francois Mitterrand, 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. In 2008, the French authorities opened a consulate in the Kurdish capital of Erbil.

“May the enduring friendship between France and the Kurdistan Region continue to grow,” President Nechirvan Barzani concluded.