DUSHANBE , July 4, Asia-Plus - BBC’s Persian Service in Tajikistan was registered with the Tajik Ministry on June 26.  

It was one of conditions of resumption of the BBC’s services in Tajikistan on FM frequencies.   

Mr. Suhrob Ziyo, the head of office of the BBC’s Persian Service in Tajikistan , has told Asia-Plus that their office is ready to pass all necessary procedures to resume its service in the republic on FM frequencies.  According to him, an appropriate letter has been sent to Tajikistan ’s Committee for TV and Radio-broadcasting.  

“We hope this issue will be solved before July 7, when His Royal Highness The Duke of York or Prince Andrew as he is also known, the second son of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, arrives in Tajikistan,” said Mr. Ziyo, “It undoubtedly will have positively impact prestige of Tajikistan as country adherent to principles of democracy and freedom of speech.” 

We will recall that on January 10 this year, Tajik authorities suspended BBC FM broadcasts in Tajikistan .  On January 18, the BBC made a formal complaint to the Tajik Government.  BBC services on medium and short waves in Tajikistan remain unaffected.  The U.K. Embassy in Tajikistan that time expressed concern over the suspension of BBC FM broadcasts in Tajikistan even as Tajik MFA insisted the shutdown was not rooted in politics.  The BBC called the 20-day deadline to register with the Ministry of Justice and acquire a broadcasting license, a new requirement for foreign media outlets mandated by recently ratified Tajik medial legislation, “unrealistic.”   The Tajik MFA said the suspension was procedural and had nothing to do with the content of the BBC’s programming.   

     Information of Asia-Plus: The BBC has been broadcasting in Tajikistan since 1996 on medium wave.  In 2004, the BBC launched two 24-hour FM relays, in Dushanbe and Khujand, with programs in Tajik (Persian); as well broadcasts in Russian and English.  The BBC is currently the only international broadcaster available on FM in Tajikistan and has legal contract and license to broadcast.