Venezuela to Develop Digital TV Project with Argentina

Venezuela’s Minister of Science and Technology, Jorge Arreaza, and Argentina’s Planning Minister Julio De Vido

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In Buenos Aires on the weekend, Venezuela’s Minister of Science and Technology, Jorge Arreaza, and Argentina’s Planning Minister Julio De Vido, signed a cooperation agreement to develop a digital television project.

During the signing of the agreement, Arreaza said the initiative is more than just a commercial one, but also “a strategy to spread Latin American identity.”

The Venezuelan executive is interested in promoting access to information, Arreaza said, which is considered a human right and not merchandise.

The Venezuelan telephone company CANTV will be responsible for developing a digital high definition television that can broadcast constructive content.

De Vido said that exchange between Argentina and Venezuela has increased from $146 million before the Kirchner governments (Presidents Nestor Kirchner and current Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner) to over $2.5 billion in 2011.

The Argentinean minister also highlighted President Hugo Chavez’s interest in deepened bilateral exchange, and his hope that this new commercial agreement, which involved the sale of 13 digital cable television stations and four satellite broadcasters, can also reach other countries.

This system will be made available for free to the public, and will give creators of audiovisual content the opportunity to promote national and regional cultures without market interference.