DUSHANBE, July 13, 2012, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan hopes to reach an agreement with Kyrgyzstan on constructing a rail link connecting Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Chin.
Ms. Farida Muminova, a senior expert from Tajik think tank, says a certain work is being carried out to arrange a meeting with the Kyrgyz side to discuss the project for construction of that railroad.
Muminova, the deputy director of the Center for Strategic Studies in charge of economic issues, noted that the issue of construction of the Tajik part of the railroad had already been solved. “The investment project providing for reconstruction of the railway connecting Dushanbe and Vahdat Township and construction of the railroad from Vahdat to Kyrgyz Border via the Rasht Valley has been developed and included in the state investment program designed for 2012-2014,” the expert said.
Sayfullo Safarov, deputy director of the Center for Strategic Studies, noted that Tajikistan, Iran and Afghanistan would not abandon that important project. He noted that there was another project providing for construction of the railway from Iran to Kyrgyzstan and further to China via Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. “Therefore, there is a certain competition between the countries of the region,” said Safarov. “Some our neighbors will try to impede construction of this regional railway via the territory of Tajikistan.”
As it had been reported earlier, Kyrgyz Minister of Transport and Communications Kalybek Sultanov told the Tazabek news agency on June 19 that Kyrgyzstan has little interest in the rail construction project offered by Tajikistan.
According to him, this project provides for construction of a rail link that would connect Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. “This project has not yet been discussed,” said Kyrgyz minister, “We still have little interest in this project, because there is another railway construction project that will connect China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. This project is more important for us from an economic and strategic point of view. Most likely we will decline the project [offered by Tajikistan].”
Meanwhile, Iran had earlier allotted 1 million U.S. dollars in no-strings aid to Tajikistan for conducting feasibility for construction of a Tajik stretch of the railway link that should connect Kashgar (China) and Herat (Afghanistan).
We will recall that in a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Minister of Transport Nizom Hakimov revealed on January 24 this year that Iranian firm Metra has delayed the feasibility study for construction of the Tajik stretch. The Tajik stretch is 392 kilometers in length. The minister said that so far Iranian specialists have submitted only the preliminary reports on separate sections of the Tajik stretch, while they should have submitted the final report. It was recalled that an agreement on conducting the feasibility study was signed in October 2010 and the Iranian company assured to conduct the feasibility study in eight months.
Iran’s Fars News Agency (FNA) reported that Iranian Minister of Road and Urbanization Ali Nikzad voiced Tehran”s willingness to join a railway line which is due to connect China, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. According to FNA, the issue was raised by Nikzad at a meeting with Tajik Minister of Transport Nizom Hakimov in Tehran on May 6.
Nikzad reportedly called on the Tajik official to provide the needed maps for the Iranian company in charge of the feasibility studies of the project in a bid to enable Metra company to wrap of work and present the results by the next three months.
In addition to the rail link, Iran seeks other links with China and the Central Asia, FNA reported. In 2010, Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said Iran has made major investments in the transportation sector and is resolved to revive the ancient Silk Road. “The government is resolved to revive the great Silk Road through a high-speed railway link that passes through China, Turkmenistan, Iran, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Europe,” Rahimi said in Iran”s Northeastern city of Sabzevar.
