Middle East
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) receives Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani in Egypt's southern Red sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, ahead of an international conference to finalize an agreement to end the Gaza war. Photo: PM Sudani's media office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday discussed bilateral relations and the reconstruction of Gaza on the sidelines of Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit, being held in the Egyptian Red sea resort city to finalize a ceasefire deal to end the Gaza war.
"The meeting touched on the matter of holding a conference for the reconstruction of Gaza, chaired by France, and emphasized the importance of maintaining the ceasefire, strengthening stability and peace in the region, and supporting humanitarian efforts to provide urgent aid to civilians in Gaza," read a statement by Prime Minister Sudani's office.
Macron and Sudani stressed the need to expand the two nations' "bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop them in various fields."
The two leaders als took the chance to discuss plans to hold a new addition of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership.
In 2021, the Iraqi and French governments jointly organized the first Baghdad Conference that brought together Middle Eastern heads of state to discuss regional cooperation.
For his part, Macron said that "many French companies specializing in energy, infrastructure, defense, and water will be present at the conference, in a manner that serves the common interests of the two friendly countries."
France and Iraq enjoy strong, and close relations across political, economic, and cultural fields.
In early July, France’s foreign ministry described relations with Iraq as “very dynamic and very dense,” hailing the strategic partnership between Baghdad and Paris.
“Iraq has had a very important and dynamic role in the region and the Baghdad Conference was a very important step in that direction,” Christophe Lemoine, spokesperson for France’s foreign ministry, told Rudaw in an interview.
In January 2023, Sudani and Macron signed several strategic agreements in Paris aimed at boosting cooperation across various sectors between the two nations.
Macron and Sudani are joining leaders from 20 other nations on Monday, including US President Donald Trump to finalize the Gaza peace plan to the two-year-long bloody war.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect at noon on Friday, three days after the second anniversary of the war in Gaza. Trump’s peace deal also outlines the demilitarization of the Palestinian enclave and excludes Hamas from any future political role in Gaza.
Hamas on Monday released 20 Israeli hostages in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners, as part of the Gaza peace deal.
The 2023 conflict, the deadliest in Gaza’s history, began on October 7 when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Of those, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 who the Israeli military believes are dead.
Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed over 67,000 Palestinians and injured about 170,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Famine has spread across the enclave, and a United Nations commission has accused Israel of committing genocide.
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