Macron will visit Iraq on Saturday to participate in Baghdad summit, in which several other regional leaders are invited.
Iraq has sent invitation to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdulla II, and other leaders from the region, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The French presidency said Macron, who paid a brief visit to Iraq on September 2, 2020, “wants to show his support for the pivotal role of Iraq in combating terrorism, developing the country and helping ease tensions,” according to AFP.
On Sunday, Macron will head to the Kurdistan Region and then to the city of Mosul, parts of which were destroyed due to the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) militants, AFP reported.
In Erbil, the French president will reiterate France’s support for the Kurdistan Region in the fight against terrorism.
He will then head to Mosul, where he will meet students and “influencers”, the news agency said. Macron will also visit religious sites destroyed by ISIS, including the al-Nuri Mosque and the Our Lady of the Hour Church.
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