French President Emmanuel Macron called on Iraq on Saturday to disband all armed factions, including the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) that is backed by Iran.
He said during a press conference in Paris with visiting Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani: “It is essential that there is a gradual demilitarization, in particular of the PMF that established itself in the last few years in Iraq, and that all militias be gradually dismantled.”
Macron again called for dialogue between the central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government within the framework of the Iraqi constitution.
The French president said he was convinced a "constructive dialogue" could lead to lifting Baghdad's restrictions on the Kurdish region.
