ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with French Ambassador to Iraq Patrick Durel in Erbil on Sunday to discuss domestic and regional issues, including the latest developments in Syria. The meeting focused on strengthening France’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and explored “opportunities to enhance collaboration across various sectors,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency, adding that the two officials addressed broader regional dynamics, “particularly the situation in Syria.” President Barzani expressed appreciation for France’s “ongoing support” to the Kurdistan Region and emphasized the “importance of strengthening bilateral relations” between Erbil and Paris. For his part, the French ambassador reaffirmed his country’s “commitment to supporting both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region” and “commended their efforts to foster stability in the region.” Durel also paid tributes to the victims of the Halabja chemical attack, which took place on March 16, 1988, and was commemorated on Sunday. At the height of the Anfal campaign, Saddam Hussein’s regime carried out a series of genocidal acts against Kurds, including the deadly chemical attack on Halabja, which killed at least 5,000 civilians and caused long-term health effects for 10,000 more. Danielle Mitterrand, First Lady of France from 1981 to 1995, was a strong advocate for Kurdish rights during Saddam Hussein’s regime. Known as the "Mother of the Kurds," she played a key role in campaigning for the no-fly zone that allowed the Kurdistan Region to develop its autonomy, and she inaugurated the first Kurdish parliament in 1992. France was also one of the first countries to establish a consulate in the Kurdistan Region following the fall of Hussein in 2003 and played a crucial role in supporting Erbil and Baghdad in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). In May, French Consul General to the Kurdistan Region, Yann Braem, announced that French investment in the region had reached $3 billion, with dozens of French businesses operating across various sectors.
