Voice of Russia begins broadcasting in Iraqi Kurdistan

Text of report in English by heavyweight liberal Russian newspaper Kommersant website on 12 November

The Voice of Russia radio station began broadcasting in Kurdish in Iraqi Kurdistan yesterday. Station spokesmen say the new project is non-political and its goal is to bring the Russian and Kurdish people closer together. Analysts say that the project has an obvious political nature and that it is a means of advancing Russian interests in Kurdistan and throughout the Middle East.
The Voice of Russia had considered a Kurdish service for several years, but funding restriction had prevented its implementation until now. The station’s director of regional broadcasts Mikhail Baryshev told Kommersant that a daily one-hour shortwave broadcast in Kurdish premiered in May of this year. Yesterday [11 November] was the first broadcast on the FM band. Broadcasts originate in Erbil, Sulaimaniya, Kirkuk and Dohuk, Iraq. The broadcasts will be two hours long and will air in the mornings and evenings.
Baryshev said each broadcast will consist of news, a discussion of Russian foreign policy, especially in the Middle East, and informational programmes about Russia. “Unfortunately, in many regions, and particularly in Iraqi Kurdistan, people do not find out about Russia’s policies first hand,” Baryshev said. “Frequently that information is distorted. We will try to correct that situation.” The organizers of the project deny any underlying political goals, however. “We are mostly carrying out a humanitarian mission,” deputy general director of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Corp. Andrey Bystritsky told Kommersant in reference to the new broadcasts.
Observers say the broadcasts are part of a political project launched by the Russian consul in Erbil a year ago to raise Russia’s role in the region. Kurdistan is Iraq’s only stable region. It is rich in oil and has attracted many foreign companies. Baghdad has given the region considerable autonomy, and the region, which is at the crossroads of the Iraqi, Iranian, Turkish and Syrian borders is of great strategic importance.
(Source: Kommersant website, Moscow, in English 12 Nov 08 via BBC Monitoring/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)