DUSHANBE, July 8, 2015, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan and Iran have signed one more document on completion of the Istiqlol Tunnel.
The Tajik MFA information department reports the governments of Tajikistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran have signed a memorandum on cooperation on completion of the Istiqlol Tunnel. The document was reportedly inked by Tajik Ambassador to Iran Nematullo Emomzoda and Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian in Tehran on July 7.
According to the Tajik Ministry of transport (MoT), construction of the Istiqlol tunnel is expected to be completed in November this year.
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 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. 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.
In April 2013, Tajik parliament endorsed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the governments of Tajikistan and Iran on completion of the Istiqlol Tunnel that 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.
