ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday revealed his plans to visit Iraq this year, while hailing ongoing talks between new Damascus authorities, and the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria, during a news conference in Brussels.
Speaking at a press conference following an EU Leaders’ Summit in Brussels, Macron told Rudaw's Alla Shally: "I do plan to visit Iraq this year. I hope."
Macron reiterated his support for Iraq's sovereignty, and described Baghdad's stability as a "pillar" for the stability of the entire region. He also hinted at the country's November legislative elections.
"I will never interfere in an election in the said country, but I have a lot of affection for Iraq, and I think the prime minister delivered a great agenda for his country," Macron said.
Iraq will hold parliamentary elections on November 11.
France and Iraq enjoy strong, and close relations across political, economic, and cultural fields.
The French president added Paris is "a great supporter for Iraqi sovereignty. And I think, in this moment of destabilization in the whole region, the stabilization of Iraq, the full respect of Iraqi sovereignty is a very important pillar of the stability of the whole region."
In 2021, the Iraqi and French governments jointly organized the first Baghdad Conference that brought together Middle Eastern heads of state to discuss regional cooperation.
Damascus-SDF talks
President Macron also spoke about recent developments in Syria, describing the landmark March deal between Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus as being a "very important step forward."
"As for the agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government, I think this is a very important step forward, and an important move towards the unity of Syria," Macron said. "Our objective is the same from the very beginning; unity, and sovereignty."
Macron commended Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa for his efforts to engage with all other components in the country.
"I think it is very important that President Sharaa respects all the components of Syrian civil society, and tries to engage with all the different parties," Macron said. "The Syrian Democratic Forces played a very important role to fight against terrorist groups. It is very important to build this reconciliation in order to strengthen the unity of the nation."
This development comes amid signs of progress in integration talks between the SDF and the Damascus leadership.
On March 10, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi signed a landmark agreement with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The deal aims to bring all civil and military institutions in Rojava - including the SDF - under centralized state control and to establish a nationwide ceasefire.
Talks to implement the agreement have continued since March, though disputes have emerged over how integration should be carried out. The SDF had advocated for integrating its forces as a unified bloc, while Damascus has favored absorbing fighters individually and distributing them across regular army units.
However, Rudaw recently learned the SDF will now integrate into the newly restructured Syrian army as three distinct military formations, including a separate brigade for the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) - a core element of the SDF.
