France is increasingly flexing its diplomatic muscles in Iraq as French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the Kurdistan Regional Government's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani last Thursday, only weeks after meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani.

During the meeting, Macron expressed support for Iraq and the KRG in the face of external and domestic security threats, while Barzani lauded Paris as an “ally with a common vision.” Both leaders discussed investments and economic diversification in sectors like agriculture and pledged to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.

France has maneuvered to rival Washington as Baghdad’s primary Western partner and to counterbalance China’s financial and geopolitical influence in the country.

The Macron-Sudani meeting at the end of January laid the groundwork for a strategic partnership. Although it shows Paris’ desire to revive its geopolitical clout in the Middle East and boost its soft power in Iraq, the partnership’s stated aims are to establish a formal and permanent framework for bilateral cooperation in various fields, according to a statement by the Elysee Palace.