On Sunday, President Masoud Barzani received French President Emmanuel Macron and his accompanying delegation, which included the French Foreign Minister, the French Ambassador to Iraq, the French Consul in Erbil, and a number of French political and military advisors.

During the meeting, President Barzani warmly welcomed President Macron, and expressed his thanks to the people and government of France for supporting the Peshmerga and the people of Kurdistan in defeating ISIS, describing this as the honorable common history between the two peoples.

President Barzani also announced that the people of Kurdistan have a culture of coexistence, and that ISIS, which tried to take this culture from the Kurdish people, failed and could not find a foothold in Kurdistan society. He also expressed his appreciation for President Macron's efforts to help Iraq, declaring that these efforts are a source of hope.

For his part, President Macron announced "I wanted to see President Barzani to renew the respect and friendship between the two peoples, and to confirm France's continued commitment to the war against the terrorist Daesh."

He stressed that the Peshmerga fought valiantly, and that valor became a source of inspiration, as well as a lesson that confirms that foreign aid does not achieve success on the ground without the presence of brave fighters.

Regarding the terrorist threats, President Barzani announced that the threats of terrorism still exist because the reasons that led to the emergence of terrorism and violence still exist.

At the same meeting, they discussed the relations between the region and Baghdad and the challenges facing the political process and the upcoming elections in Iraq. The two sides also expressed their hope that the upcoming elections would become a good means of change, progress towards and achieving the will of the citizens.

As for the situation in Shingal and West Kurdistan, it was another focus in the meeting in which President Barzani expressed to the French President his concern about the future of the Kurds in Syria.

At the end of the meeting, President Barzani presented President Macron the Peshmerga statue, which represents the symbol of the steadfastness of the people of Kurdistan in the face of terrorism. For his part, the French President presented President Barzani with a special gift symbolizing the French Republic.

After that, President Barzani accompanied President Macron to meet the family of the martyr Hujam Surchi and a group of female Peshmerga fighters belonging to the Zirvani forces in the Kurdistan Region.