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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The President of the Kurdistan Region will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday, according to his office. The Kurdish leader touched down in the French capital on Monday night, according to a source in his office.
"Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani is to visit France and hold a meeting with France’s President, Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Tuesday, following a formal invitation from President Macron," reads a statement from Barzani’s office released on Monday. However, Rudaw later learned that Barzani arrived in Paris late Monday.
According to the official itinerary, the two leaders will have lunch together. They are set to discuss a wide range of topics, including the relationship between the Kurdistan Region and France, Iraq and the situation of the broader region, COVID-19, terrorism threats and the global coalition's contribution to the war against Islamic State (ISIS), according to the statement from Barzani's office.
The visit comes on the 30th year anniversary of the Kurdish uprising in 1991 and the imposition of the no-fly zone over Kurdistan and Southern Iraq the same year, which late French President Francois Mitterrand encouraged the UN Security Council to establish.
The relationship between the Kurds and France has been strong in recent years. Kurds played a critical role in the war against ISIS and France helped Kurds both in Iraq and Syria during the war.
Even after the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum in 2017, when many global powers had distanced themselves from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), France kept ties with the Kurds.
At a press conference with French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Erbil in July 2020, Barzani thanked France and its President, for the unwavering support they have provided the Kurdistan Region, especially during the war against ISIS, and tense moments between the governments in Erbil and Baghdad.
France also provided medical aid to the Kurdistan Region in July as the coronavirus spread throughout the Region.
Updated at 22:30 with Barzani's arrival in France
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