President of the Association of European Journalists, Arber Hitaj visits Erbili as an honorary guest for the 127th anniversary of the first Kurdish newspaper
Arber Hitaj, president of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), accepted Hozan Qadir’s invitation to be a special guest in Erbil (Kurdistan region, Iraq) on the occasion of the 127th anniversary of the first newspaper in Kurdish.
Hitaj’s visit included a series of high -level meetings with prominent figures of the Kurdish media landscape. The first meeting took place with Bestoon Nuri, Head of Relations on the Rudaw Canal, followed by discussions with Ghazi Ali, General Director of the SPEDA Canal. Hitaj also met with Abdulrahman Kakl, Director General of Kurdistan TV.
A particularly important meeting was held with Bashdar Hassan, President of the Institute for International Law (IRI), an institution that plays a vital role in supporting journalists and interest groups facing legal challenges in Kurdistan. As part of the further strengthening of relations, Hitaj also met with representatives of Sharpress Media, including Hawkar Izat, Director General of Sharpress Media, and Kamal Raouf, President of the Sharpress Foundation.
The second day of the visit began with a major press conference, attended by media representatives from the whole of Erbili, where the media’s situation and challenges in the Autonomous Kurdistan region were discussed. Afterwards, Hitaj and the delegation of AEE held meetings with Erbil’s governor Omed Xoshnaw, and Nuri Othman, chief of the President of the Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, who promised support to the media community.
Later, the delegation held a key meeting with Mr. Sadi Ahmed Pire, spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), another important political party, discussing the role of the media in promoting transparency and democracy.
On the third day, the delegation traveled to the city of Suleimanie, where a awards ceremony took place to honor excellence in journalism. The prices were awarded:
Wael Dahduh, correspondent of al jazeera
Ahmad Omar, cameraman in rudaw channel
Kurdsat Canal, for a prominent documentary
Pnotwan Jaf, founder of the Tothe-News, the only official Kurdish media operating in Greece, with significant coverage on migration issues in Europe
Bashdar Hassan, President of the Institute for International Law
During the visit, a memorandum of understanding (mou) was signed between the President of AEE, Arber Hitaj and Mr. Hozan Qadir, Chairman of the Organization of Journalists for Rights and Development in Kurdistan (Rord), the largest media association in the region. This agreement aims to develop training programs for journalists in order to improve the quality of reporting in Kurdistan.
As part of the 127th anniversary of Kurdish journalism, President Nechirvan Barzani published a powerful message, describing the media as a fundamental pillar of democracy, progress and coexistence. He took the opportunity to reconfirm the commitment of his administration to protect freedom of expression and to promote a professional, courageous and responsible media environment.
President Barzani’s message added a strong voice to the choir of regional leaders who recognize the historical importance of Kurdish journalism and its constant role in shaping an open and elastic society.
This historic visit marked a new chapter of cooperation between Kurdish and European journalists, laying the foundations for stronger media freedom and professional development in the region.
