French consul general in Erbil says humanitarian aid and military support will continue

The French Consul General in Erbil says his country will to provide military support and humanitarian aid to the Kurdistan after meeting with Hemin Hawrami for talks on bilateral relations and the political developments in the region.

The Head of Kurdistan Democratic Party's Foreign Relations Office, Mr Hawrami, welcomed the French delegation and expressed appreciation on behalf of the KDP for France's commitment to supporting the Kurds and Peshmerga forces. He reflected on current relations with France and said they are pleased with the advanced relationship.

Mr Alain Guépratte praised the Kurdish leadership for their role in successfully combatting terrorism amidst other issues grappling the region. He reaffirmed during the meeting that his government will persist with supplying military armament and aid to the people, adding France will do "whatever within their powers" to help the Kurdistan region wipe out Islamic extremism.

Speaking about the tensions with Baghdad, Mr Hawrami said the Kurds aspire to be "good neighbours" and always opts to cooperating with the Iraqi government to resolve differences through peaceful means, tactfully through dialogue.

For his part, the French consul general praised the victories achieved by Peshmerga against the terrorists and stressed that both sides are facing a common enemy.