Iran urges expansion of media cooperation with Ukraine

President of Iran's state-run TV Ezzatollah Zarqami stressed the need for the development of media cooperation between Tehran and Kiev, and said Iran is ready to transfer its experiences to Ukraine in a bid to help the country defuse the West's media campaign which, he said, is aimed at creating a feeling of isolation and dismay in independent states. Speaking at a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Zarqami noted the problems faced by Ukraine's national TV in confronting the western media stream, and said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) is ready to transfer its experiences in defusing the campaign launched by the arrogant (powers') media which are seeking to create isolation and a feeling of dismay in independent states." He said Americans have made huge investments in psychological warfare specially in the region, but they still acknowledge that the Islamic Republic of Iran enjoys a stronger soft power. Also during the meeting, the president of Ukraine's national TV voiced pleasure in his last year visit to Iran, and admired the achievements of the Iranian TV in various fields. He further voiced preparedness to expand cooperation with the IRIB, specially in exchanging news and reports. Iran has been seeking to bolster ties with Eastern Europe, specially Ukraine, in all the different political, economic and cultural spheres in the last few years. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a meeting with Ukraine's Ambassador to Iran Alexander Samaraski in November called for the development of all-out ties with Ukraine, reiterating that Tehran sees no restriction or impediment to the expansion of its relations with Kiev.