[4] In 2011, Jonathan Randal wrote that: "In France, Danielle Mitterrand, the former President’s wife and vociferous defender of the Kurds and other downtrodden minorities, needed no encouragement to bring their plight to her husband’s attention.

When in late March 1991 the Iraqi counteroffensive gathered steam, she alerted specialists inside and outside the government to prepare contingency plans.

[12] In the same year, Massoud Barzani met with President Nicolas Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in Paris,[13] where they signed a protocol strengthening ties in various fields, including trade, education and culture.

[24] French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian made an unannounced visit to Erbil in April 2016, where he stated that: "I also came here to meet with the Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to reiterate the support of France to Peshmerga forces in the fight against Da’esh,” and furthermore that: “The Peshmerga plays an important role in this fight.

"[25] In June 2016, two shipments of military aid reached Kurdistan Region consisting of MM89 rockets, thousands of different types of ammunition, defense and attacking grenades and night-vision goggles.