Shafaq News/ President Nechirvan Barzani on Sunday praised the establishment of a Franco-German cultural institute in the capital city of the Kurdistan region, Erbil, as "a bridge of friendship" between the three nations, expressing gratitude for the support the two European countries provided to Iraq and Kurdistan.

This afternoon, President Barzani, along with Ambassadors Eric Chevallier of France and Martin Jaeger of Germany, laid the foundation stone of the Franco-German Cultural Institute at Erbil's ancient citadel. 

This comes in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the Elyse treaty, a friendship pact signed by Paris and Berlin in 1963.

In a speech he delivered during the ceremony, President Barzani said, "this institute will be another bridge of friendship between the [Kurdistan] region and each of France and Germany." 

"Those two countries provided all sorts of support for the Kurdistan region during crises," he continued, "today, on this great occasion that I believe is pivotal because it bolsters the cultural ties between our countries, we thank them for all the support they offered, and we hope this cooperation continues." 

"The institute is being established in a very remarkable place, which is the Erbil citadel. This is an important implication for the cultural partnership that binds the Kurdistan region with Germany and France."