DUSHANBE, October 26, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan has asked Iran to consider the possibility of providing a $5 million preferential loan for carrying out additional work at the Istiqlol Tunnel that has been built in Tajikistan with help of Iranian specialists, according to press service f the Ministry of Finance (MoF).

This issue was discussed here last Friday at a meeting of Minister of Finance Safarali Najmiddinov with visiting Ian’s Deputy Minister of Energy, Hamid Chitchian.

The sides also discussed the process of implementation of Iran-sponsored projects in Tajikistan as well as issues related to allocation of additional loans and further expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries.

The Istiqlol Tunnel, better known among the population as the Anzob Tunnel, has been built by Iran’s Sabir International.  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 tunnel makes the highway from Dushanbe to Khujand open fro 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, there are still some uncompleted works.

The Istiqlol 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.