ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday received France's Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, discussing a wide array of national and regional matters.

The French foreign minister visited Iraq as part of a regional tour on Wednesday morning to discuss a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, where he met with a number of Iraqi officials before heading to Erbil in the evening.

The Kurdish premier and Barrot discussed "the Kurdistan Region and Iraqi government's relations, the importance of the provision of the Region's constitutional right, respecting the federal system, and the resumption of the Kurdistan Region's oil exports," according to a statement by the premier's office.

Barzani stressed the importance of "improving bilateral relations across various sectors," with the pair agreeing on the need for the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG's) tenth cabinet.

France and the Kurdistan Region share long-standing relations, with the French strongly advocating for the establishment of a no-fly zone over the Kurdistan Region in 1991, which ultimately led to the development of the Region’s current autonomy.

France is also a core member of the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), providing training and assistance to thousands of Kurdish Peshmerga over the years.

The prime minister extended the Kurdistan Region's gratitude to France for their "continuous support" for the Region, while Barrot expressed his "pleasure to visit Erbil," lauding the Kurdistan Region's role as "an important factor of security and stability across the region."