DUSHANBE
, July 26, Asia-Plus – Today morning, Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov and his Iranian counterpart, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for opening of the northern portal of the Anzob tunnel built by an Iranian construction firm and with Iranian investment.
Telling the ribbon-cutting ceremony, President Rahmonov noted, “This day will be entered into historical annals of
Tajikistan
as national day.”
“The tunnel is of great significance for socioeconomic development of
Tajikistan
and it will reduce
Tajikistan
”s isolation from neighboring markets,” President Rahmonov noted.
Head of Tajikistan noted that despite some shortcomings, all the construction worked had been carried out on a high professional level and in time. Rahmonov expressed gratitude to the people and the government of
Iran
for assistance provided in the construction the tunnel.
“
Tajikistan
will become transit country soon and roads of
Tajikistan
will allow reviving the
Great Silk Route
,” the president said, noting to the necessity of improving road communication between
Dushanbe
, Khujand and the Uzbek border town of
Chanoq
. The project for rehabilitation of the road Dushanbe-Khujand-Chanoq is supposed to be finished in 2008.
Rahmonov also noted that Iranian construction firm “Sobir International” also would construct the Chormaghzak tunnel within the framework of the Sangtuda-2 project.
President Ahmadinejad, for his part, noted that they considered development of
Tajikistan
as development of
Iran
. He highly appraised work of Tajik and Iranian specialists and noted that the Anzob tunnel was the result of cooperation of two fraternal countries. “Cooperation between our countries is not aimed to hurt any other nation,” said Ahmadinejad, “Our bilateral cooperation is aimed at development of the region.”
