DUSHANBE, September 11, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Additional 5 million U.S. dollars are needed to fully complete the construction of the Anzob Tunnel, the Iranian Ambassador to Tajikistan Ali-Asghar Sherdoust announced at a meeting with reporters in Dushanbe on September 10.

“An agreement singed between Tajikistan and Iran on construction of the Anzob Tunnel does not provide for issues related to construction of ventilation and lighting facilities and elimination of subsoil waters, and therefore, these issues have remained unsolved after introduction of the tunnel into operation,” Ambassador Sherdoust said.

To solve these problems the Iranian government has provided a US$1 million grant this year and negotiations on allocation of additional US$5 million for the project are currently being conducted,” said Iranian diplomat, “We offer a loan but terms of its repayment and the loan interest rate do not suit the Tajik side.  I know that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad always inquires about the issue of completion of this project and I believe it will be solved in the near future.”

The Anzob Tunnel is a five kilometer long tunnel located 80 kilometers northwest of Dushanbe.  It connects the Tajik capital to its 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, built with help of Iranian specialists, was introduced into operation during President Ahmadinejad’s visit to Tajikistan in July 2006.