ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Nechirvan Barzani congratulated Emmanuel Macron on taking office as the French president on Sunday hoping for strengthening ties between Paris and Erbil. Barzani also thanked outgoing Francois Hollande for demonstrating “successful international politics” during his leadership in office.
“On behalf of the nation and the Kurdistan Regional Government, I congratulate the newly elected French President Mr. Emmanuel Macron in light of his inauguration and election as president,” read a message from Barzani.
Barzani said Macron has highlighted “eliminating terror” and has noted that “the Kurdistan Region is a pioneer in the fight against ISIS.”
France was one of the first nations to back the Kurdistan Region in the fight against the extremist group as the organization has threatened the region and the world since 2014.
“When our nation was in pain and suffering in the last century, France generously reached out to the people of the Kurdistan Region. We do hope during the leadership of Emmanuel Macron, our bilateral relations will develop further,” Barzani said.
During the leadership of French President Hollande, Paris and Erbil’s relations enjoyed close ties as Hollande visited Erbil twice. Barzani paid four official visits to Paris.
Therefore, Barzani said the Kurdistan Region “aims to strengthen its political and cooperation relations in order to secure peace and stability in the Middle East.”
Close relations between the Kurds and France go back to the aftermath of the Gulf War in 1990 when Paris actively supported a crucial UN no-fly zone order, Resolution 688, in northern Iraq, effectively paving the way for the creation of what has become the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
France has donated millions of Euros in assistance for humanitarian projects because of strife in Syria and Iraq.
Macron defeated Marine Le Pen by a 66-34 percent margin in the final round of presidential election on May 7.
In a similar congratulatory message to Macron last week, Kurdish President Masoud Barzani emphasized continued friendship between France and the Kurdistan Region.
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.
from Rudaw http://ift.tt/2pzeoVw
via Defense News
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