Shafaq News/ The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on Thursday that increasing the complexity of the situation in the region endangers its security and stability.

The two presidents discussed the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, as well as the broader situation in the Middle East, at a meeting at the Élysée Palace in Paris.

In a statement issued by the Kurdish presidency, the two sides said they stressed the importance of efforts to prevent the expansion of the war and to protect civilians. They also agreed that further deterioration of the situation would endanger the safety and stability of the region.

The two presidents also exchanged views on France's relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, Erbil-Baghdad relations and dialogue, the political, security, and economic conditions of Iraq, and the latest developments and complexities in the region.

They stressed the strengthening of France's relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and the consolidation of cooperation between the two sides within the framework of the Iraqi-French strategic agreement. Both sides agreed on the necessity of protecting the security and stability of Iraq in light of the crisis conditions of the region, and continuing understanding and dialogue in order to solve Erbil's problems with Baghdad.

The latest developments in confronting terrorism and the dangers of ISIS, the relations of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region with neighboring countries and the region, the situation in Syria, and a group of issues of common interest formed another focus of the meeting, according to the statement.