European Union (EU) ambassador to Egypt James Moran bid farewell to Cairo on Wednesday night, completing four years in office. In a farewell reception, Moran expressed how hard it is for him to leave Egypt.

“My wife and I have had an extraordinary experience. We arrived here in February 2012. We have lived with you a very important part of the history of the 21st century here in this country. We have seen things, and above all, we have learnt things that we will never forget, and we will not fail to pass on the lessons to all our friends and colleagues back in Europe,” the ambassador said in a statement.

The ambassador added that his new position will be linked to the Middle East, but from the headquarters of the EU in Brussels. Moran has also served in Libya during the revolution against former president Muammar Gaddafi.