Tajikistan keen to strengthen ties with Iran

Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrakhan Zarifi underlined the importance of expanding relations between Tehran and Dushanbe in all fields. In a message sent to Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on his appointment as the new Iranian foreign minister, Zarifi called for the expansion of mutual cooperation between the two Persian-speaking nations in all arenas. Iran and Tajikistan have recently accelerated expansion of their ties and cooperation and observers believe that the good achievements gained in area of their mutual cooperation should be deemed as a result of the efforts made by the two countries\' officials. On Thursday, Iranian, Tajik officials in a meeting in Dushanbe underlined the necessity to complete the Anzob tunnel also known as Istiqlol (independence) project in the near future. Officials from the water and energy sector of Iran and Tajikistan made remark in a meeting on the sidelines of an international conference on water cooperation. During the meeting, Director of Water Catchment Department of the Iranian Energy Ministry Alireza Dayemi and water and energy minister of Tajikistan emphasized the necessity of cooperation in implementing joint energy projects, specially Anzob tunnel. Dayemi pointed to obstacles slowing down the Anzob project as high altitude of the tunnel, lots of water falling from the tunnel’s walls, the plaster texture of many parts of the tunnel walls and the freezing temperature and chill weather in the region. “These factors have made this project distinctively different from the similar projects and made the process of this tunnels construction incomparable with the other similar ones,” he added. The official said that completion of the tunnel is of great significance for Tajikistan. The tunnel connects the Northern and the Southern parts of the country. In April, Iran and Tajikistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to complete the strategic tunnel in the Central Asian country. The spokesperson for the lower house of Tajikistan\'s parliament Muhammadato Sultanov said earlier this year that the $3bln agreement was signed by the two countries to complete the project. He added that the Tajik minister of transport, Nizom Hakimov, has briefed the Tajik lawmakers about the project and presented them with the relevant documents. The Anzob Tunnel is a five km long tunnel located 80 km Northwest of Tajikistan\'s capital city of Dushanbe. The tunnel connects the Tajik capital to the country\'s second largest city, Khujand, travel to which, prior to the tunnel\'s construction, required travelers to cross the border into Uzbekistan in order to travel between the two cities. It is also a transit route between Dushanbe and Uzbekistan\'s capital Tashkent. Prior to construction of the tunnel, especially during winter, the threat of year-round avalanches led to periodic disruptions of commerce.