Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan still cannot settle the issues of joint broadcasting. According to the REGNUM news agency, Iran fails to supply the TV broadcasting equipment.
According to Asadullo Rakhmonov, chairman of the Tajik State Broadcasting Committee the premises in Dushanbe are ready; what is needed for the time being is the equipment. The official also said that representatives of Iran and Tajikistan have recently had a meeting in the Tajik capital where they intended to discuss the terms of broadcasting, but their Afghan counterparts ignored the consultation.

Earlier, the ambassador of Iran to Tajikistan Ali Asgari Sherdust told the media that the cause of constant postponing of launching of the Persian-language TV channel is the Afghan uncertain position. The Kabul authorities consider that most of the population in Afghanistan are Pashtu people who do not speak Persian.

Apart from that, the parties cannot agree upon the content of TV programs and the appearance of TV anchors. Iran and Afghanistan are Islamic states, whereas Tajikistan is a secular country. Iranian and Afghan TV channels prohibit appearance of women without hijab.

The decision about the creation of the Persian-language TV channel was reached between the Tajik and Iranian presidents in July 2006 in Tehran. In March 2008, in Dushanbe, during a tripartite meeting of foreign ministers the parties agreed to create a Persian-language TV channel. It was decided that the headquarters of the new TV company will be located in Dushanbe.

REGNUM