Kurdistan
Then KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani (center) and his deputy PM Qubad Talabani (right) leave Elysee Palace after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on December 2, 2017. File photo: Thomas Samson | AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Nechirvan Barzani will make his first trip to Europe as the new president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, his office announced on Monday. In Paris he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.
"French President Emmanuel Macron has officially invited Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani to visit France. Barzani will meet with Macron at Elysee Palace on Wednesday," read a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency.
Barzani last visited Elysee Palace in December 2017, when he sought to assure Paris of the stability in the Kurdistan Region following its independence referendum and clashes between Kurdish and Iraqi forces in constitutionally-disputed areas.
Barzani and Macron will "discuss bilateral relations and some other regional issues," the statement added.
"French President Emmanuel Macron has officially invited Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani to visit France. Barzani will meet with Macron at Elysee Palace on Wednesday," read a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency.
Barzani last visited Elysee Palace in December 2017, when he sought to assure Paris of the stability in the Kurdistan Region following its independence referendum and clashes between Kurdish and Iraqi forces in constitutionally-disputed areas.
Barzani and Macron will "discuss bilateral relations and some other regional issues," the statement added.
There was no immediate statement from Elysee Palace. France and the Kurdistan Region have long ties which date back to late French President Francois Mitterrand encouraging the UN Security Council to establish the No-Fly Zone to protect Kurdish areas against the former Baath regime in the 1990s.
Barzani received French Presidential Envoy for Syria Francois Senemaud and French Consul General in Erbil Dominique Mas in Erbil on Thursday.
"President Barzani expressed his appreciation for the continued support that France and President Macron provided to the Kurdistan Region, especially during challenging times. He also stressed on further improving bilateral ties," read a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency.
Government formation, the broader region, and recent developments in Syria were also discussed, according to the statement.
Last month, Barzani was sworn in by parliament as the new president of the Kurdistan Region. He has designated Masrour Barzani as prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The KRG is currently forming its next government following a parliamentary election on September 30, 2018. The Kurdistan Region is emerging from multiple crises including the conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS), budget disputes with the Iraqi federal government, a global drop in oil prices, and the hosting of 1.8 million displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees.
France is an essential member of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Its forces have trained, advised, and assisted the Peshmerga and other security forces in the Kurdistan Region.
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