Macron: Baghdad and Erbil have a golden opportunity to uphold ties

Shafaq News/ The French President, Emmanuel Macron, called on the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to grasp the golden opportunity to bolster the ties between them, commending the "very good" relation between them at the moment.

In a statement to journalists on the sidelines of his visit to the Grand Mosque of al-Nuri, Macron said, "I believe that there is a responsibility reposed on us to rebuild Iraq, continue the war on terrorism, secure services like education and others, and work with all the communities to achieve our goals."

"Once again, we assure you. We will be with you and help you rebuild, and build schools, hospitals, and services institutions."

"When the ties between the Federal and Regional Governments deteriorated in 2017, France worked to ease the tension," he continued, "normalization shall be established between all the communities in Iraq."

The French President said that the Federal and Regional Governments have a golden opportunity to mend the relation between them, deeming the current status of the ties between both sides as "very good".

On the Yazidi displaced families, he said, "most of them live in Duhok and Erbil. We shall provide a proper environment for them to return."

"The local government in Nineveh is working to rehabilitate the infrastructure. However, prior to anything, all forms of financial and economic corruption shall be eliminated."

"Our presence in Iraq is an important message. We are here, and we will stay. We will offer help to Iraqis whenever they need it. France is here for reconstruction."