HispanicBusiness

The Iranian state television officially launched an international channel in Spanish on Tuesday, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The channel called "Hispan TV" first started to air programs on Dec. 21, 2011, for 16 hours a day and was officially launched on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by Iran's Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi and the ambassadors of Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia, said the report.

This TV network aims to reinforce the cultural bonds, and to bridge the gap with the peoples of Spanish-speaking countries, and to introduce Islamic Iran's traditions, through airing programs for Hispanic addresses round the clock, according to the IRNA.

It will air programs in the fields of news, films and series, documentaries, reports, exclusive interviews, in addition to different political, social, and economic programs from Tehran.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the inauguration ceremony via video link.

All nations are in need of peace, security, freedom, progress and welfare and it is necessary to enhance cooperation, communication and collective efforts for such wishes to materialize, said Ahmadinejad, quoted by Press TV.

He stressed that close communications, exchange of views, and unity are of significance for protecting the basic rights of people, adding that the media can play a crucial role in this regard.