Barzani received Andrea Nasi, Vienna’s new ambassador to Baghdad, in the Kurdistan Region’s capital city of Erbil.
Barzani and Nasi “stressed enhancing Austria’s relations with Iraq and Kurdistan Region, and mutual cooperation,” especially in the political, cultural, and economic fields, according to a statement released by President Barzani’s office.
Both sides also discussed Vienna’s intention to open a representative office in the Kurdistan Region.
Austria closed its embassy in Baghdad in 1991 over security concerns. The country has had a representation in the Iraqi capital for under a year, and the embassy is set to be officially reopened later this month.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in September announced that Vienna would officially reopen its embassy in Baghdad after over three decades without diplomatic relations with Iraq.
Barzani also received the outgoing French Ambassador Eric Chevallier in Erbil. Barzani wished Chevallier the best in his future endeavors. The French Consul General to Erbil Yann Braem also attended the meeting.
According to a statement from Barzani’s office, both sides highlighted “the importance of maintaining strong relations between Erbil and Baghdad, and the ongoing discussions aimed at resolving any outstanding issues between them.”
The relationship between the Kurds and France goes back to the 1980s. Danielle Mitterrand, first lady of France from 1981 to 1995, advocated for Kurds suffering under the regime of Saddam Hussein and was instrumental in campaigning for the no-fly zone that allowed the Kurdistan Region to develop its current autonomy. She was affectionately known as the “Mother of Kurds”, and inaugurated the first Kurdish parliament in 1992.
France was one of the first countries to open a consulate in the Kurdish capital of Erbil after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003 and played a critical role in helping Kurds both in Iraq and in Syria in the war against ISIS.
When Kurds in the Kurdistan Region held an independence referendum in 2017, Baghdad imposed a flight ban on the Region for months. A historic visit by President Barzani, then prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), to France helped reconnect the Kurdistan Region to the world.
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