On April 6th, 2025, the team of Metro Center welcomed (Ciska De Veld) second secretary
of political affairs of the General Consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Kurdistan Region.

During her visit, the situation of press freedom and opportunities and obstacles to freedom of expression were discussed.

Ciska thanked Metro for the warm welcome and expressed her satisfaction that Metro, as an independent and impartial organization, monitors the situation of freedom of the media and expression and that its reports have become a useful source of information.

The coordinator of Metro Center mentioned several types of media that are run by the money of some politicians, intelligence and security agencies and financial institutions of political parties, have become a moth over media freedom and the profession of honest journalism.

"The strong rise of intelligence media, denial media and media dominated by political money stolen from public revenue have become an obstacle to the freedom of the media and independent institutions," Gharib said.

"The authorities have filled the journalistic scene with people who see the world as they see it themselves," he said, adding that they are repeating the same story not only in the media but also in organizations to distort the facts and show a false majority.

At the end of the meeting, the Secretary of Political Affairs of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands thanked Metro's team and hoped the continuity of their work.