Source:
RFE/RL
DUSHANBE -- A Tajik-Afghan-Iranian television channel is expected to make its
first broadcast in March, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports.
Tajik Culture Minister Mirzoshohrukh Asrori told
RFE/RL that the joint station's first program will be aired during celebrations
of the ancient Norouz holiday on March 21-23 that marks the first day of spring.
He said the programs aired by the station will focus mainly on cultural issues.
Iran, Tajikistan, and many regions in Afghanistan
speak various dialects of Persian that are mutually intelligible. In 2006, the
three countries' leaders met in Dushanbe and agreed to establish a joint
television channel.
Iranian Ambassador to Dushanbe Ali Asghar Sherdust told RFE/RL that the
agreement's implementation has been postponed due to some reservations expressed
by Afghan officials. He said the issue will be resolved soon.
Iranian media outlets report that Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad invited
his Tajik and Afghan counterparts, Emomali Rahmon and Hamid Karzai,
respectively, to celebrate Norouz in the ancient Iranian city of Shiraz this
year.
Copyright (c) 2010 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
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