President Barzani Received French FM in Pirmam
President Masoud Barzani met French FM Jean-Noël Barrot in Pirmam, discussing Syria’s political process, SDF–Damascus agreement implementation, and counter-ISIS security coordination.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - President Masoud Barzani received French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in Pirmam on Friday, during the minister’s two-day diplomatic visit to the Kurdistan Region. The meeting followed a series of high-level discussions held the previous day in Erbil, where Barrot met separately with the Kurdistan Region Presidency and the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to review strategic bilateral relations, regional security developments, and ongoing political initiatives in Syria.
The meeting in Pirmam included Patrick Durel, the French Ambassador to Iraq, and Yann Braem, the French Consul General in Erbil. During the talks, the French foreign minister conveyed personal greetings from President Emmanuel Macron to President Barzani, underscoring France’s longstanding friendship and support for the people of Kurdistan.
Barrot, who arrived in the Kurdistan Region on Thursday for an official visit, began his diplomatic itinerary with a meeting with Nechirvan Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Region.
Following their discussions in Erbil, the two leaders convened a press conference at the Kurdistan Region Presidency. During their public remarks, both President Nechirvan Barzani and Foreign Minister Barrot explicitly emphasized a mutual commitment to the expansion of the strategic partnership between Erbil and Paris.
The diplomatic activity in Erbil extended into Thursday night, involving key figures from northeast Syria. Mr. Barrot held a meeting with Mazloum Abdi, the Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Commander Abdi was accompanied by a delegation of senior officials, including Rohlat Afrini, the Commander of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), and Ilham Ahmed, the Co-Chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration.
According to a statement released by Mazloum Abdi on his official account on the social media platform X, the discussions with the French Foreign Minister focused heavily on recent political developments in Syria. Specifically, the parties reviewed the details of an agreement reached on January 29 between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the government in Damascus.
Beyond political agreements, the talks between the French delegation and the SDF leadership addressed ongoing security challenges. Commander Abdi noted that the meeting covered methods for confronting the remnants of ISIS. Furthermore, the discussions addressed the logistical and security mechanisms required for managing the families of ISIS members and the militants currently detained by the organization.
The presence of the SDF leadership in the Kurdistan Region also included direct engagement with the regional presidency. On Thursday, prior to or concurrent with the French Minister’s visit, President Nechirvan Barzani received Commander Abdi and his accompanying delegation. The meeting provided a forum to discuss the broader situation in Rojava (Western Kurdistan) and the general state of affairs in Syria.
Consistent with the topics raised in the meeting with the French Foreign Minister, the discussion between President Nechirvan Barzani and the SDF delegation also focused specifically on the recent agreement finalized between the Damascus government and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
The sequence of meetings—spanning Thursday and Friday in both Erbil and Pirmam—highlights a convergence of diplomatic efforts involving the Kurdistan Region leadership, French foreign policy officials, and the command structure of the SDF as they address the status of agreements with Damascus and the ongoing management of ISIS-related security concerns.