DUSHANBE, May 8, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Construction of a new terminal at the Dushanbe airport should be finished by September 2011, when the 20th anniversary of Tajikistan’s Independence will be marked, the Director General of the Dushanbe International Airport Rustam Kholiqov said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, a contract with a group of French construction companies was signed on April 4 this year.  “A total cost of the project is 27 million euros and 20 million euros are provided by France,” said Kholiqov, “Tajikistan’s contribution to the project is 7 million euros and 1.5 million euros of this amount should be allocated with the beginning of the construction work and the remainder will be given by the airport at the rate of 400,000 euros per month.”

We will recall that Tajik Deputy Minister of Finance Jamoliddin Nouraliyev, and Mr. Nicole Prego, Head of Department, France’s Ministry of Economy signed a protocol on allocation of a preferential long-term loan of 3 million euros in Dushanbe on April 1.  The loan increased the project cost to 27 million euros. The main condition to receive the loan is 39 years repayment period. Interest rate is 0.15% annum with 20 years grace period.

On May 1, Finance Minister Safarali Najmiddinov and French Ambassador to Tajikistan Henry Zipper de Fabiani officially signed an accord on the Dushanbe International Airport.  This accord is part of an agreement on implementation of the terminal construction turnkey project singed between the Dushanbe International Airport and a group of French enterprises SOFEMA-ALPHA AIRPORT.

This project represents a key element of policies to attract investors and international enterprises.  Upon completions of reconstruction the reconstructed airport will have advanced capacity and will be able to increase exchange of people and goods by development of international routes.