Tajikistan is seeking once again Iran’s financial support for completion of the construction of the Istiqlol Tunnel, which connects the country’s central part and the northern Sughd province.
An official source at the Ministry of Transport (MoT) of Tajikistan says the issue of providing additional financial support for completion of the construction of the Istiqlol Tunnel assistance was discussed at a meeting of the Tajik Minster of Transport Khudoyor Khudoyorzoda and the Iranian Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian that took place here in mid-May.
In the course of the talks, Khudoyorzoda reportedly proposed the Iranian side to participate in the second phase of the construction of the Istiqlol Tunnel.
The second phase reportedly includes design work, purchase and installation of ventilation and lighting systems as well as purchase and installation of firefighting as well as safety control and management systems.
The estimated budget for implementation of this project is 8 million U.S. dollars. The Tajik government is expected provide 4 million U.S. dollars and hopes to receive a US$ 4 million grant from Iran.
The sides have reportedly reached an agreement to prepare and discuss all documents necessary for financing of the project, the MoT source added.
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 included a US$3 million grant provided by the Government of Iran and US$3 million provided by the Government of Tajikistan.
