ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — France and Iraq are launching a new phase in their relations, with Paris pledging more political and financial assistance as their leaders announced a “new strategic roadmap” in Paris on May 3. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi met with French President Emmanuel Macron at Elysee Palace.
"The political and financial mobilisation of our country will increase alongside you. The French development agency will soon set up in Baghdad with increased resources to help you in this reconstruction,” Macron said in a press conference alongside Abdul-Mahdi.
"You will soon meet the companies involved in the reconstruction of Iraq, which is a land of real opportunity. And whether it is transport, energy, agriculture, water, urban management, we want to be able to fully mobilise them, as we have mobilised a €1 billion funding line to facilitate these new projects,” he said.
Abdul-Mahdi, who lived in France in exile for 20 years during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, hailed the warm ties between Paris and Baghdad. "France has always stood with us," he said, adding France has sheltered many Iraqis.
"We depend a lot on the presence and existence of the French side with us in the reconstruction process of the country," Abdul-Mahdi explained.
He and Macron also discussed opportunities to increase cooperation in the security sector, Abdul-Mahdi added, noting that the Islamic State (ISIS) has been defeated militarily, but it still remains a threat.
"We don't hide that there are still many sleeper cells. This is something normal for a force that occupied a third of Iraq and has strong presences in Iraq and Syria," he said. Everyone needs to continue cooperating when it comes to ISIS and their focus shouldn't be turned to other things as it could create gaps in anti-ISIS efforts.
A source told AFP that the agreement signed between the two countries includes a military component, specifically reinforcing the number of French military trainers in Iraq.
Later in the day, Abdul-Mahdi met with French Defence Minister Florence Parly. She announced that France’s gunners taking part in the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria had “officially terminated their mission” and, with the territorial defeat of ISIS, the fight was entering a new stage, one of combatting sleeper cells. She discussed this continued engagement and French military training of Iraqi soldiers in her meeting with Abdul-Mahdi, she tweeted.
Abdul-Mahdi and Macron also discussed the case situation of ISIS families and foreign fighters at al-Hol camp in Syria and the prosecution of French jihadists in Iraq. A source told AFP that Baghdad has not submitted an official request for financial support for the incarceration of French ISIS suspects, but that such a request will likely be made soon.
Iraq has taken on the responsibility of prosecuting a dozen French nationals detained in Syria and suspected of membership in ISIS.
Foreign ministers Mohamed al-Hakim and Jean-Yves Le Drian of Iraq and France, respectively, met in Paris on Thursday.
They discussed broadening relations in many fields including political consolations, diplomacy, institutional cooperation on the governmental level, military and security cooperation, training programs for Iraqi Security Forces, and specialty training for combating terrorism, according to the Iraqi foreign ministry.
Hakim also expressed Baghdad's desire to move forward with the cooperation and affirmed joint commitment between the two countries.
Iraqi President Barham Salih met with Macron in Paris in February, when they discussed bringing suspected Islamic State (ISIS) members holding French citizenship to justice.
Updated: 5:25 pm
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