DUSHANBE, January 6, 2014, Asia-Plus — Tajik Minister of Transport Khayrullo Asoyev has reportedly called on Iranian specialists to speed up completion of construction of the Istiqlol Tunnel in Tajikistan.
According to the Ministry of Transport (MoT) press center, this issue was discussed at a meeting of Asoyev with representatives of Iranian Embassy in Dushanbe that took place in Dushanbe on January 4.
We will recall that the Iranian side stated last November that they will solve the issue of further financing of completion of construction of the Istiqlol Tunnel in the near future.
We will recall that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the government of Tajikistan and Iran on completion of the Istiqlol Tunnel that was endorsed by the Tajik parliament in April this year provides for allocation of additional 6 million U.S. dollars. This amount includes a US$3 million grant provided by the Government of Iran and US$3 million provided by the Government of Tajikistan.
Iran’s Saber International has been chosen to complete the construction of the tunnel.
The Istiqlol Tunnel, better known among the population as the Anzob Tunnel, has been built with assistance of Iranian specialists. Iran’s Saber International has constructed the Istiqlol Tunnel. The total project cost was estimated at 40 million US dollars, and Iran has provided US$10 million in a form of grant and extended a preferential loan worth US$21 million to Tajikistan.
The tunnel makes the highway from Dushanbe to Khujand open for traffic the whole year round and drops the transit time by four to five hours. An official opening ceremony of the Istiqlol Tunnel was held in July 2007; however, some works have remained unfinished.
The Istiqlol Tunnel is a five kilometer long tunnel located 80 kilometers northwest of Dushanbe. It connects the Tajik capital to Tajikistan’s second largest city, Khujand. It is also a transit route between Dushanbe and Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent. Previously, especially during the cold seasons, a lack of a direct link between northern and southern Tajikistan led to disruptions of commerce.
