Paris, France (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani met with French President François Hollande in Paris on Tuesday.

In their meeting at the Élysée Palace, President Hollande and President Barzani discussed the ongoing fight against ISIS terrorists and efforts to liberate the city of Mosul.

President Hollande welcomed President Barzani’s visit to Paris and reiterated his country’s support for the Kurdistan Region, in particular the peshmerga forces. He praised the role of the peshmerga in taking the fight to the ISIS terrorists. He said France would continue to provide military, humanitarian and political support to Kurdistan, and that it would also seek to gather support for Kurdistan among other European countries.

President Barzani thanked President Hollande for his continuous support and France’s aerial support for the peshmerga forces. He said President Hollande’s visit to Erbil in September was very important and showed that our people have great friends.

The two also discussed joint preparations underway by the peshmerga and the Iraqi army to liberate the city of Mosul from ISIS terrorists. They also discussed relations between Erbil and Baghdad and the recent meeting between President Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi in Munich last week. The underlined the importance of close cooperation between Erbil and Baghdad to address the challenges facing Iraq.

President Barzani also met with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday in Paris to discuss the fight against ISIS and the military needs of the peshmerga forces.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today welcomed German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen in Salahaddin today to discuss German military aid to peshmerga forces.

In a meeting with President Barzani and the military leadership of the KRG, the German defense minister, who was accompanied by a number of security advisors and German members of parliament, reiterated her country’s commitment to stand by the people of Kurdistan in the fight against ISIS terrorists and commended the role of the peshmerga forces in taking the fight to them. She added that Germany would continue to help the KRG by providing weapons and military training to the peshmerga forces.

President Barzani thanked the people and government of German for their decision to assist the KRG and said that the people of Kurdistan are deeply grateful for Germany for coming to their aid. He said that the military aid from Germany has been very effective in battles. He added that with the assistance provided by Germany and other countries, the peshmerga forces now have the upper hand and will continue to push back the ISIS terrorists. But he warned that this will be a drawn-out fight, and the peshmerga require more military assistance and more advanced weapons.

Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani met with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, in Salahaddin today.

The ICRC President briefed President Barzani about their operations in the Kurdistan, in particular their regular visits to detention centers, providing aid to the civilians in conflict zones, and their efforts to help IDPs return to their liberated towns and villages. He expressed his appreciation to the KRG for its close cooperation with ICRC local staff and hoped that this cooperation would continue.

President Barzani expressed full KRG support for the work that ICRC has been conducting in the Kurdistan Region and pledged continued support for their operations. He also reiterated KRG commitment to international humanitarian laws and welcomed ICRC’s efforts to help IDPs return to their homes.

In a message addressed to French President Francois Hollande, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris today.

“On behalf of myself and the people of Kurdistan, I would like to express my condolences to you, the French people, and the families of the victims of today’s terrorist attack, and I strongly condemn this inhumane and cowardly act,” said the President.

“In this sad day, the people of Kurdistan, who are currently fighting the most barbaric kind of terrorism, stand with the people of France. I am confident that terrorism will be defeated and humanity will prevail.”

In his New Year message, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani expressed his hope that 2015 will be a year of prosperity and happiness for the people of Kurdistan, and the end of terror and fundamentalism.

He pied tribute to the brave peshmerga who sacrificed their lives fighting against the ISIS terrorists.

The President also expressed his hope that in 2015, all IDPs and refugees in Kurdistan will return to their homes.

In his annual Christmas and New Year message, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani reassured the Christian community in Iraq that the KRG would continue to provide protection and shelter to them and other communities fleeing the barbaric and terrorist group ISIS.

“I would like to emphasize that the Christian community is a key component of this country and I understand their pains and suffering. I reassure them that there is no place for terrorism, violence and barbarity; we have all been witnessing how the brave peshmerga have inflicted heavy defeats on ISIS terrorists and have liberated most areas under their control,” said the President in his message.

The President also urged the Christians to stay in the country. “Christian areas still under ISIS control will also be liberated. We hope that the Christians IDPs will soon return to their homes. I urge Christians against emigration. We must live together and enrich our tradition of peaceful co-existence and tolerance.”

President Masoud Barzani today met with US Senator John McCain in Erbil to discuss bilateral relations and the fight against ISIS terrorists.

Senator McCain said the purpose of his visit to Kurdistan is to see firsthand the situation on the ground, particularly with regard to the fighting with ISIS terrorists. He commended the role of President Barzani and the peshmerga forces for inflicting heavy defeats on the ISIS terrorists, adding that the US government and people would continue to back Kurdistan in this fight.

President Barzani thanked the United States government and people for their continued support to Kurdistan. He also thanked the United States for its support of the joint effort by the peshmerga and local fighters in the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobane to defend the city.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi spoke by phone with Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani on Friday to congratulate the President and the peshmerga forces for their recent gains against the ISIS terrorists, particularly in successfully breaking the siege of Mount Sinjar.

The Iraqi Prime Minster also reiterated Iraqi government’s full support to the efforts of the peshmerga forces in the fight against terrorism and underlined the importance of stronger cooperation between the two sides in this effort.