French president meets head of regional Kurdish gov't in northern Iraq

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) – The head of northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani, held talks on Sunday with French President Emmanuel Macron on bilateral relations and the upcoming Iraqi elections.

"I’m delighted to welcome my friend, French President Emmanuel Macron in Erbil," Barzani wrote on Twitter, adding that he “looks forward to discussing bilateral ties, Iraqi elections and other pressing issues with President Macron."

Barzani hailed the French support to the Kurdish region and Iraq.

Meanwhile, a statement by the northern Nineveh province said Macron, escorted by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, paid a visit to Mosul city where he visited the Iraqi army command center in the province and the Church of Our Lady of the Hour.

Mosul was largely devastated and damaged by the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group before being defeated in 2017.

Macron is also expected to visit Sinjar district, near Mosul, a largely populated area by the Yazidi community which suffered from Daesh/ISIS persecution.

The French president arrived in Iraq on Saturday to participate in the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership along with other neighboring and regional countries.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara