- Title: France's Macron meets Iraqi Kurdistan's Barzani
- Date: 29th August 2021
- Summary: ERBIL, IRAQ (AUGUST 29, 2021) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE WITH PRESIDENT OF IRAQ'S SEMI-AUTONOMOUS KURDISTAN REGION, NECHIRVAN BARZANI BARZANI SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING: "Today again I reassured President Barzani and the many regional authorities of France's solidarity. Firstly, solidarity in continuing to fight Daesh (Arabic acronym for Islamic State), our common enemy which is showing worrying signs of resurgence in Iraq and Syria. What is at stake in this fight is the future of Iraq and within it Kurdistan, the security of the region but also the security of Europeans and therefore, the French." NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING, MACRON AND BARZANI POSING MACRON AND BARZANI LEAVING ROOM
- Embargoed: 12th September 2021 18:23
- Keywords: Afghanistan Barzani Iraq Macron
- Location: ERBIL, IRAQ
- City: ERBIL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Middle East,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001ESC1YDJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: SOUND AS INCOMING
French President Emmanuel Macron finished a two-day visit to Iraq on Sunday (August 29) in Erbil where he met authorities of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
Several Middle Eastern leaders and Macron met in Baghdad the day before at a summit hosted by Iraq, which wants its neighbours to talk to each other instead of settling scores on its territory.
Relationships within the region are strained chiefly by hostility between Iran on one side and the United States and its Arab Gulf allies on the other.
Heads of state attending included President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, King Abdullah of Jordan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Macron. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates sent their heads of government, and Turkey its foreign minister.
Macron's trip to Iraq over two days aimed to support the regional dialogue, meet Iraqi political leaders and visit French special forces involved in the ongoing fight against Islamic State insurgents.
Macron also briefly met the family of Kurdish Peshmerga slain by Islamic State. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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