By Manal Abdel Fattah
Today, at the Salah al-Din resort, Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani received the French ambassador to Iraq, Patrick Durel.
The meeting shed light on the political situation in Iraq and the region, and the internal political situation in the region, and the French ambassador to Iraq expressed his happiness at adopting dialogue in order to address the differences between Erbil and Baghdad, indicating that France will always remain loyal and supportive of the people of Kurdistan, and that their rights must be protected. Kurds within the framework of federal Iraq.
The French ambassador stressed that his country believes that dialogue is the best way to settle the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad, and to address the internal political problems in the Kurdistan region.
While Barzani expressed his appreciation for France’s historical role in supporting the legitimate rights of the Kurdish people at all stages, pointing out that the struggle and sacrifices of the people of Kurdistan were for the sake of achieving freedom, sovereignty, national rights, and rejecting injustice and discrimination.
Barzani stressed that the differences between Erbil and Baghdad are represented by the violation of the constitution and non-compliance with concluded agreements, in addition to the emergence of risks that threaten the democratic process and efforts to weaken and undermine the Kurdistan region, which is a constitutional region that is the result of the sacrifices of our people over many decades.
Barzani considered the budget and financial dues to the region to be a legitimate right for the people of Kurdistan, and that they should not be turned into a political card used against the region.
Barzani expressed his support for the continuation of the dialogue between the Kurdistan region and federal Iraq, describing this as the best way to address the problems between the two sides. Barzani also stressed that the Kurdistan Democratic Party is always ready to hold fair and transparent elections, the results of which reflect the true will of the voters, and during which the components are able to choose who represents their will and votes, away from prior design and legal and technical dilemmas, expressing his hope that the political parties in the region will work to serve the promotion and protection of The Kurdistan Region, within the framework of respecting the will of the people of Kurdistan and the supreme interests of the region.
