Iraq
French President Emmanuel Macron addresses French ambassadors during the conference of ambassadors at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on August 28, 2023. Photo: Teresa Suarez/POOL/AFP
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday in which the two discussed boosting bilateral ties in several fields, and also announced that Macron was set to conduct a visit to Iraq’s capital Baghdad “soon”.
The two leaders addressed developing relations in the fields of economy, culture, military, and security, and highlighted the importance of implementing the partnership agreements signed between Baghdad and Paris, according to a statement from Sudani’s office.
The statement said that the French president's planned visit to Baghdad reelects “a significant step in enhancing diplomatic ties,” without revealing the purpose of the trip or when it will occur.
Macron on Tuesday announced that a French air force paratrooper was killed in Iraq while assisting a dispatch of the Iraqi army in an operation against the Islamic State (ISIS) a day prior, marking the third French soldier killed in Iraq in just over a week.
Sudani extended his condolences to Macron over the loss during the call.
Macron in December 2022 attended the second edition of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in Jordan, which aimed at providing support for Iraq’s stability and security. Sudani visited France’s capital Paris in December, signing a set of strategic agreements with Macron, meant to develop Iraq's cooperation with the European country in various fields.
As a core member of the US-led global coalition against ISIS, France has trained about 10,000 Iraqi soldiers, including Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
During a visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region last month, Minister of the French Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu alongside Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad al-Abbasi announced that 80 French trainers will conduct a two-year training course for about 2,100 Iraqi soldiers, the equivalent of five “desert battalions.”
The two leaders addressed developing relations in the fields of economy, culture, military, and security, and highlighted the importance of implementing the partnership agreements signed between Baghdad and Paris, according to a statement from Sudani’s office.
The statement said that the French president's planned visit to Baghdad reelects “a significant step in enhancing diplomatic ties,” without revealing the purpose of the trip or when it will occur.
Macron on Tuesday announced that a French air force paratrooper was killed in Iraq while assisting a dispatch of the Iraqi army in an operation against the Islamic State (ISIS) a day prior, marking the third French soldier killed in Iraq in just over a week.
Sudani extended his condolences to Macron over the loss during the call.
Macron in December 2022 attended the second edition of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in Jordan, which aimed at providing support for Iraq’s stability and security. Sudani visited France’s capital Paris in December, signing a set of strategic agreements with Macron, meant to develop Iraq's cooperation with the European country in various fields.
As a core member of the US-led global coalition against ISIS, France has trained about 10,000 Iraqi soldiers, including Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
During a visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region last month, Minister of the French Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu alongside Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad al-Abbasi announced that 80 French trainers will conduct a two-year training course for about 2,100 Iraqi soldiers, the equivalent of five “desert battalions.”
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