Kurdistan leader cements decades-old ties in visit to Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes the President of the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq, Netchirvan Barzani, before a meeting at the Elysee in Paris on 3 November, 2023. AFP - BERTRAND GUAY

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday received Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region in the north of Iraq – where France still has troops as part of its fight against the Islamic State. Paris has supported Kurdistan since the early 1990s.

"Delighted to meet my dear friend, President @EmmanuelMacron in Paris," Barzani wrote on social media.