At a Glance

• The Kurdistan Region President welcomed the new French Consul General, Ambassador Emmanuel Mignot, to Erbil.
• Both leaders committed to strengthening long-standing bilateral relations across multiple sectors.
• Mignot, who succeeded Yann Braem, previously served as France's Ambassador to Estonia.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani welcomed the new French Consul General, Ambassador Emmanuel Mignot, to Erbil on Sunday, with both leaders pledging to strengthen long-standing bilateral relations.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

• A statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency stated that Barzani “congratulated the new Consul General on assuming his role and wished him success in his responsibilities.”
• The discussions centered on Erbil-Baghdad relations alongside the broader political and security dynamics impacting Iraq and the wider region.

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The Presidency said in a statement today that during the meeting with Consul General Mignot, Nechirvan Barzani “reaffirmed the full readiness of the Kurdistan Region’s institutions to support and facilitate his work.”

Barzani expressed the Region's ongoing gratitude for the friendly ties between the two nations, emphasizing “its continued support for the people of Kurdistan.”

Ambassador Mignot expressed his “happiness” for launching his diplomatic mission in Kurdistan.

He emphasized France's commitment to "further strengthening its longstanding relations" and expanding bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.

Ambassador Mignot expressed his happiness at starting his mission in the Region and reaffirmed France’s commitment “to further strengthening its longstanding relations with the Kurdistan Region and expanding bilateral cooperation across various fields.”

FYI

Emmanuel Mignot is a prominent French diplomat who succeeded Yann Braem as Consul General to the Kurdistan Region.

Prior to his posting in Erbil, he served as the Ambassador of France to Estonia from October 2023 until mid-2026, where he was awarded the Baltic Defence College Medal of Merit for his work on strategic NATO and EU defense collaboration. 

Mignot entered the diplomatic corps in 2000 after passing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' prestigious Concours d'Orient competitive exam. 

His early career included managing sensitive portfolios like nuclear energy within the Ministry’s Strategic Affairs directorate, backed by an academic background spanning political science, international relations, economics, and Turkish language studies.

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