French foreign minister meets PKK/YPG terrorist ringleader in Iraq's Erbil

By Seyma Yigit and Merve Berker

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot met on Thursday with Ferhat Abdi Sahin, one of the so-called senior ringleaders of the PKK/YPG terror group, during his visit to Erbil following talks in Baghdad.

Barrot shared details of his Erbil meeting on X, and despite the group's history of terrorism, he described it as a gesture of "solidarity and loyalty with France's historical partners."

Posting a photo with the senior terrorist, Barrot referred to him as “General Mazloum, leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), our comrades-in-arms in the fight against Daesh (ISIS) for the past 10 years.”

He also stated that the “rights and interests of Kurds” must be fully taken into account in Syria’s political transition process.

In Erbil, Barrot also met with Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq; Safeen Dizayee, head of the KRG Foreign Relations Department; Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani; and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani.

Barrot is expected to visit Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia between April 23 and 25.

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK—listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU—has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.