TEHRAN (IRNA) -- IRNA Chief Mohammad-Jaafar Behdad said Sunday that IRNA is and will remain a popular media.

“IRNA belongs to the people who are the backbone of the Islamic Republic system... If we really believe in democracy, we should put on our agenda the demand of the public,” said Behdad in a ceremony, held at IRNA main office in Tehran to introduce him and bid farewell to his predecessor Jalal Fayyazi.
Behdad said that one of the major missions of IRNA, as the country’s official news agency, should be timely dissemination of news and information.
“World nations are thirsty of being informed of realities in Iran because media of the world domineering powers deprive them of the news,” he stated.
He said that during his tenure he would mainly focus on recruitment of young staff while benefiting from the experienced personnel.
Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi, Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs Abdolreza Mesri, deputies to the minister of culture and Islamic guidance, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, directors general of news agencies, and dozens of distinguished journalists and cultural and social figures were present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, Advisor of Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance and former IRNA chief Jalal Fayyazi told the meeting that during his 20-month mission at IRNA, positive developments had been made in the field of news at IRNA, including inauguration of a new IRNA website, dispatch of the 16 hours news package daily, and establishment of Borna News Agency along with National Youth Organization.
He said that with the help of well-experienced personnel, IRNA sent on its wire services some 14,000 news items about the 8th Majlis elections in 90 days, 1,100 articles on war veterans and many other news on the country’s nuclear case.
He added that IRNA’s budget had increased by 37 percent this year thanks to the cooperation of the government and the Majlis.