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PARIS - French Senator Remi Feraud told Rudaw on Sunday that the relationship between France and the Kurdistan Region has flourished in recent years, highlighting the critical role that regular engagement between Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and French President Emmanuel Macron have played in strengthening this bond.
The two leaders “have established a relationship of trust” marked by “frequent exchanges,” Feraud said, adding that “these diplomatic efforts have proven vital, particularly in a region marked by ongoing instability and geopolitical shifts.”
Commenting on the importance of President Barzani’s visit to Paris and his meeting with President Macron on Monday, Feraud noted that the engagement further highlights that “Kurdistan and Erbil in particular, is truly at the heart of a region whose geopolitical importance is immense,” and that “President Barzani is an important and trusted actor in this region.”
Turning to the issue of peace efforts in Turkey to end the four-decade-old conflict between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the French senator stated that the peace process is “in the interest of all of Turkey.”
However, Feraud censured what he called “the increased repression against democracy in Turkey,” pointing to the recent “arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and the removal of Kurdish mayors” as an indicator of this regression.
On the situation of Kurds Syria, the French politician emphasized the hefty price Kurds in northeast Syria (Rojava) have paid in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). “The Kurds have lost thousands of fighters in the war against ISIS, they lost them for us,” Feraud said.
On the broader situation in Syria, the French senator noted that the country's road ahead is marred with challenges, stressing that if the new leadership in Damascus “manages to bring forth a future in which all components of [Syrian] society are involved in the political process, Syria could become a model,” stressing that the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria should be conditioned on the latter.
The following is the full transcript of the interview:
Rudaw: How can relations between France and the Kurdistan Region be strengthened?
The relations between France and the Kurdistan [Region] are very strong. President [Nechirvan] Barzani regularly visits Paris and has frequent exchanges with the French president, who, following the presidency of [his predecessor] Francois Hollande, has also made regular trips to Kurdistan. Today, the situation is very sensitive, so the fact that these exchanges are regular is significant. What is needed is for France to not only be a friend to the Kurds but to mobilize the international community to protect the Kurds in a region of the world that is extremely unstable and where we anticipate new and escalating conflicts that could affect the Kurds. Therefore, it is crucial for France to act as a guarantor and rally the international community to protect the Kurds, not only in Iraq and Syria, but also in Turkey and Iran. It is, of course, essential that France engages with the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] to protect all Kurds, and this is obviously extremely important. These political exchanges are truly a top priority and perhaps the primary responsibility of my country, France.
On the 14th of this month, Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, will be at the Elysee Palace for a meeting with French President Emanuel Macron. How important are these meetings for strengthening and expanding relations?
I believe that President [Emmanuel] Macron and President Barzani have established a relationship of trust that allows them to discuss the entire region. I am not aware of the specifics of their discussions, as that remains between them. However, I know that they engage regularly and that a relationship of trust has been built [between the two sides], and that this is extremely important because in international relations, trust between the heads of states and government leaders is crucial.
So, I see the fact that President Barzani visits Paris frequently and the attention President Macron attaches to Kurdistan as a clear sign of my country's strong commitment, and of this bond of trust, friendship, and joint political work between France and Kurdistan, which is absolutely essential.
Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, met with the President of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi last week. Yesterday, he met with the President of Turkey, the interim President of Syria, and with the Russian Foreign Minister. How important are these meetings for President Barzani’s upcoming meeting with President Macron?
Yes, certainly, because President Barzani will be able to exchange views with [President] Emmanuel Macron after all the important meetings he has had in the previous days, including with the new leader of Syria [Ahmed al-Sharaa] and other political leaders in the region.
It is obviously important for him [President Barzani] to then be able to engage with [President] Emmanuel Macron. He will certainly carry important messages as well. But this also demonstrates that Kurdistan, and Erbil in particular, is truly at the heart of a region whose geopolitical importance is immense. President Barzani is an important and trusted actor in this region. This seems to me extremely positive.
President Nechirvan Barzani, in his meeting with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussed the peace process [between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)] and their leader Abdullah Ocalan's message, urging his group to lay down arms. How much would a complete peace in Turkey and Kurds achieving some of their rights be in the interest of peace in the region?
The autonomy of the Kurds in Turkey, the release of [Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah] Ocalan, and a peace process [between Ankara and the PKK] are obviously objectives that I fully share and deeply wish for, as they are in the interest of all of Turkey. However, this cannot occur alongside an increased repression against democrats in Turkey.
I am, of course, pointing to the arbitrary arrest of Istanbul mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. I am also pointing to the Kurdish mayors who have been removed from their positions in recent years and in recent months. I am thinking of all the activists, lawyers, and democracy and freedom fighters in Turkey who are deprived of their liberty, who are prosecuted, who are arrested.
So, this process needs to be part of a coherent strategy. And today, I have high hopes for peace between Ocalan and those who see themselves in him, and the Turkish actors. But this cannot happen at the expense of a regression in democratic rights in Turkey. What is needed is a consistent, comprehensive policy that allows Turkey to once again become a fully democratic country.
The temporary constitution of Syria was approved by [Syria’s interim President] Ahmed al-Sharaa, but it was rejected by the Kurds, the Druze, the Christian, and the Alawite communities in Syria. What should France and the European Union do to ensure that Syria's constitution and authority represent the views of all ethnicities and components of Syria?
Indeed, the fall of [toppled Syrian dictator Bashar] al-Assad's regime is both a relief and a source of hope. But the new situation is also full of concerns. It has also led to terrible acts, crimes against the Alawites [in western Syria], to very tense situations and great concerns for the minorities, as you have mentioned, the Druze, the Alawites, the Christians, and the Kurds.
The future Syria must respect all of its components. The new Syrian leadership is sending signals that are sometimes contradictory. It is surely itself a composite entity. It does not have full and complete control over the country, as we have clearly seen. What is needed now is to ensure the security of these minorities and their ability to live in Syria sustainably.
Furthermore, the entire political framework of northeastern Syria [Rojava], particularly concerning the Kurds, it is necessary that this [framework] can survive in the new Syria and benefit the entire country, and to allow the Kurds to remain in their region. I am pleased to see that they may be able to return to Afrin today, of course. But there are contradictory signs and elements of danger, so guards should not be lowered.
Therefore, France must mobilize Europe to be the guarantor of a pluralistic Syria, one that accommodates all these communities. And there is also a tool to guarantee this: diplomacy, as well as the lifting of sanctions. The lifting of economic sanctions on Syria must be conditioned on the emergence of a new Syria that respects all its components and works towards [presenting] a new constitution that protects all the elements of Syria.
Kurds in northeast Syria (Rojava) and Syria lost 15,000 martyrs in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) and now they are demanding an autonomous region. To what extent does France support the demands of Kurds as the second largest nation in Syria?
I personally would have liked France to recognize the reality and legitimacy of the authorities in northeastern Syria even further. The Kurds have lost thousands of fighters in the war against [the Islamic State] ISIS. They lost them for us. It’s been ten years since ISIS carried out the Paris attacks.
They were, of course, supported by airstrikes and Special Forces from France and the United States. But above all, it was the Kurds who supported us in the war against ISIS. We have a duty towards the Kurds.
We share common values, a common goal. Therefore, today, we must guarantee the autonomy of northeastern Syria, its ability to shape its own destiny, gender equality, public services, and local democracy. These are the achievements of the past ten years in northeastern Syria.
It is crucial that these be preserved in the future Syria. And of course, [I believe] this must be part of a federal or decentralized country that respects its various components and regions. I truly hope that this is what Syria will build in the coming years.
But I also know the extent of the risks, the dangers. And so, I understand how important it is for France to say that, in any case, it will protect, and do everything it can to safeguard, the Kurds of northeastern Syria.
Do you believe that Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa can establish a democratic system in Syria?
I hope so. It will be difficult. He is not [making decisions] on his own. There are opposing forces within the coalition that brought him to power. In any case, this is where we need to push things forward. It is also important to clearly show that Syria will not be able to regain its position or achieve economic development, or be able to project itself into the future and find its place in the international community among all nations.
To what extent is the creation of a system in which all communities of Syria participate in the interest of regional stability and world peace?
If Syria manages to bring forth a future in which all components of its society are involved in political life, Syria could become a model. Syria can become a model, though we are far from that, but that must be the goal because, of course, Syria is a key state in the region, both due to its geographic position and the diversity of its society.
So, certainly, if Syria wants to project itself into the future as a state, as a sovereign state, it must include all of its components. This is an absolute necessity.
I hope that the new Syrian president is truly aware of this and shares this goal. I’m [currently] not certain of the latter, and I don’t believe it can be achieved without strong pressure and significant international encouragement.
My last question, as you know, a park in Paris is going to be named after the Kurdish Peshmerga. How important do you think this is for introducing Kurdistan and the Kurds to the people of France, and how did this plan come about?
The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has been committed to naming a venue in Paris after the [Kurdish] Peshmerga forces to highlight the bond that unites us with the Kurds, and also to ensure that Paris, as the capital of liberty and a symbol beyond that surpasses France, recognizes the Peshmerga. It is also a way to express our gratitude to the Peshmerga, who are fighting not only for the freedom of the Kurdish people but also for our freedom, especially in the fight against ISIS.
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