"During my work, I met inspiring people who are working for the betterment of this country,” said Radu Butum, Head of the European Union Office in Erbil. One of them is Rahman Ghareb of Metro Center, which advocates for press freedom.

On the night of August 30th, 2026, at the Erbil Citadel, on the occasion of the end of his mission, Mr. Radu Butum named several parties and personalities that he was pleased to work with in his speech, and named Metro Center and introduced its coordinator to the audience.

The ceremony was attended by Safin Mohsin Dzeyi, Head of Foreign Relations of the Kurdistan Regional Government, European Union Ambassador to Iraq Clemens Smithner, a number of government officials, representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government, diplomats, representatives of foreign countries, civil society organizations and media institutions.

In his farewell speech, Mr. Radu Butum, former Head of the European Union Office in Erbil, thanked the organizer of Metro Center for his role in protecting media freedom, "During my work, I met inspiring people who are working to improve this country. One of them is Rahman Ghareb of Metro Center, who advocates for press freedom,” he said.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, Metro’s Coordinator thanked Radu Butum for his work in the Kurdistan Region, in addition to diplomatic work to consolidate the values of the Union through their activities, as well as coordination with civil society organizations and the media.

He also congratulated Mr. Stefan Wendt, the newly appointed head of the EU Office in Erbil. He hoped to establish the best relationship with Metro Center, civil society organizations and the media and wished him success as well as welcoming Klemens Semtner, EU Ambassador to Iraq.