French, Kurdish forces ‘brothers in arms,’ President Barzani ‘stakeholder’ in SDF-Damascus deal: Official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s visit to the region aims to follow up on the implementation of the integration agreement between Damascus and “our brothers in arms” - the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - a senior foreign ministry official told Rudaw in an interview aired Friday.

Pascal Confavreux, the ministry’s deputy spokesperson, also praised Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani’s role as a “key stakeholder” in advancing the agreement.

Barrot’s trip aims to convey “a message of friendship to Iraq and Kurdistan” and to ensure the implementation of the January 29 agreement between Damascus and the SDF, he said, stressing that “it is extremely important for us” that the agreement is upheld, that “the Kurds’ identity is recognized,” and that they “have a place in Syria’s future.”

In mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups launched a large-scale offensive aimed at pushing back the SDF, which serves as Rojava’s de facto military force, from areas in northern and northeastern Syria.

These territories had initially been liberated from the Islamic State (ISIS) by the Kurdish-led forces, who also serve as a key on-the-ground ally of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, of which France is a prominent member. The SDF then maintained control to prevent the group’s resurgence.

The Kurdish-led forces and Damascus on January 29 reached an internationally brokered agreement - facilitated primarily by France and the United States - to end hostilities and integrate Rojava’s civil and military institutions under state control.

French Foreign Minister Barrot on Thursday began a regional tour, visiting Syria, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region to “follow up on the implementation” of the deal.

Describing the SDF as “brothers in arms,” Confavreux said, “We know what we owe them and that we have a debt of blood… We fought together against the Daesh [ISIS] terrorists, so, of course, this is not the end… we will be here.”

The foreign ministry official stressed that France is “extremely interested in how these rights will be implemented - cultural, political, and historical,” underlining that “it is a condition for a future Syria that is unified and peaceful in its plurality.” He added that the January 29 agreement should serve as an “instrument to achieve this.”

During his visit to the Kurdistan Region, the French Foreign Minister met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, expressing gratitude for the Kurdish leader’s “decisive” role in ending the mid-January hostilities.

Confavreux, in turn, praised the “fantastic historical bond between France and the Kurdistan Region,” highlighting their joint efforts in recent weeks to facilitate the January 29 agreement.

“President Barzani was a key stakeholder” in “advancing the deal,” the French foreign ministry official affirmed.

Following is the full transcript of the interview with Pascal Confavreux, French Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesperson.

Rudaw: Thank you for being here, Mr. Pascal. The minister's tour began in Damascus, Baghdad, in Erbil. What's France's message to the Iraqi authorities, federal authorities and to the Kurdistan Region? And how does it connect to the situation and discussions in Syria?

Pascal Confavreux: It was a trip that the minister really wanted to do and really wanted to do at this very moment. Why? For two things. First, because it was a trip for an anti-Daesh [Islamic State (ISIS)] trip, with this moment, to assess the situation and to make very clear and to see how we could keep on the security of the region, but you know, behind it, it's also our own security, because you know that in 2015-2016, we were completely hit in our territory by terrorist attack from Daesh. That was the first thing. And the second one was to address a message of friendship to Iraq and Kurdistan, and to have implemented this agreement in Syria between the SDF and Damascus, that was dealt on the 29th of January ceasefire and agreement, which we see is very important because with the the fact that the identity of the Kurds is recognized and has a place in the future of Syria. [It] is extremely important to us. And we have fought for this mediation in the days to come. So these were the two pillars, I'd say, of this trip.

France always called the fight against ISIS an absolute priority. What's your current assessment to the threat coming from ISIS, especially in the Iraqi and Syrian space?

Our current assessment is that the fight against terrorism is never over. It's a never-ending fight. And so we are very serious. We know how engaged the Iraqi government, the Kurdish government, are on this. And you've seen that we keep on fighting on that. We have hit on January 3rd some targets in Syria where you had some Daesh components. So that's our position. We are following, and we have noted that Iraq was hosting some former fighters from ISIS, you know, these last days, and Iraq can count on us in this context.

The foreign minister met with General Mazloum Abdi, the commander of SDF. What was the discussion about?

The discussion was the follow-up of the 29th of January agreement. You know how involved we were in this agreement, you know how President Barzani and the Kurds from Erbil were helping deal with this file. And so there are many steps of implementation, and so we wanted to see how to have this implementation really put in reality. These days are extremely important for that.

The same topic we were discussing in Damascus too?

Of course, in Damascus, we discussed that. Minister Barrot met with his counterpart, Minister [Asaad] al-Shibani, who was also dealing with this agreement on the 29th of January.

What is France expecting from this agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, especially in terms of the Kurdish rights in Syria?

Exactly, we are extremely interested in how these rights will be implemented, both cultural, political, and historical rights. It is a condition for a future unified, pacified in its plurality of Syria. And so the Kurds have all their place in this new and future Syria. And this agreement, should it be put in place, will be the instrument for this.

France had a big role, a major role in this agreement, and President Macron personally was calling by phone on all sides, as we knew.

Totally, totally.

How closely will France watch the implementations of this agreement?

You know, with the SDF, we were brother in arms in these last 10 years. We know what we owe them. We know that we have a debt of blood with all what happened, because we fought together the Daesh terrorists. So, of course, this is not the end. This is also the beginning of a future way to keep on watching how this deal is implemented. So, of course, we will be here.

The regional context includes tensions with Iran and also Lebanon, wider Middle East, in general. How were these topics featured in your discussion, Syria, Baghdad and Erbil?

These topics were also featured, definitely. You know that there are important talks that should take place today between the United States and Iran. What we say is that a destabilization, a regional destabilization in Iran would have impacts in Iraq and also in Kurdistan. So, it's really what we want to avoid, what we want to prevent. What we tell the Iranians is that there is a negotiation at present, they should seize it. After the totally unacceptable state violence that happened a few weeks ago now of the Iranian regime against its own population. This negotiation should imply nuclear talks, ballistic missiles, and regional stability. And so, of course, we will follow them. It's exactly what we tell the Iranian regime.

In the meeting with President Nechirvan Barzani, what was the main message and talks about relations between France and the Kurdistan region?

There is a fantastic historical bond between France and the Kurdistan Region. They talked about that, of course. You remember that France was a leader in the adoption of the 688 resolution that created the no-fly zone under Saddam Hussein's regime. You also remember that we were brothers in arms in the northeast of Syria. We remember also it was a touching moment when Minister Barraud came back with a letter of 1967 from the father of Barzani, who was writing to us and to Président de Gaulle about what France was meaning to them. So this link is rooted in history, rooted in also the trust and the work that we did during these last days, during these last weeks. And it was very concretely what was done, you know, to help this agreement of January 29th to happen, because President Barzani was a key stakeholder in discussing that, including with the SDF forces. As you mentioned, President Macron was personally involved, talking with President Shara in Syria, talking with General Mazloum, talking with President Barzani, to help advance this agreement, which in our view is the ground of the future integration of the Kurds' identity in the new Syria. And in this way is the agreement that we should follow for the future.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Thank you.