Macron Arrives in Erbil on 1st Visit to Kurdistan

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Erbil early, on Sunday morning, marking his first visit to the Kurdistan Region capital.

Macron and his delegation, including French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian, were greeted at Erbil International Airport by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, who had a previous meeting with Macron in March.

“I look forward to discussing bilateral ties, Iraqi elections and other pressing issues with President Macron. I remain grateful for France’s continued support to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq,” Barzani tweeted.

https://twitter.com/IKRPresident/status/1431775497285931009?s=08

Macron was in Baghdad, on Saturday, to attend a regional summit bringing together nine Middle Eastern countries, hosted by Iraq with the help of France.

The French President met with representatives of different religious communities, visiting the Shiite al-Kadhimiya mosque, and meeting with Nobel Peace laureate and Yazidi survivor Nadia Murad.

His programme also includes going to Mosul, where he will visit the al-Nuri mosque. He will then meet with a group of students from Mosul University.

The French President will also visit Our Lady of the Hour Church, where he will meet with Christian figures from the city. Returning to Erbil in the afternoon, he is expected to meet again with President Barzani and hold a press conference, before meeting with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani and the family of Hujam Surchi, a Peshmerga who was killed by ISIS in 2015.