DUSHANBE , July 26, Asia-Plus - Today morning, Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov and his Iranian counterpart, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for opening of the northern portal of the Anzob tunnel built by an Iranian construction firm and with Iranian investment.

Telling the ribbon-cutting ceremony, President Rahmonov noted, “This day will be entered into historical annals of Tajikistan as national day.”

“The tunnel is of great significance for socioeconomic development of Tajikistan and it will reduce Tajikistan ''s isolation from neighboring markets,” President Rahmonov noted.  

Head of Tajikistan noted that despite some shortcomings, all the construction worked had been carried out on a high professional level and in time.  Rahmonov expressed gratitude to the people and the government of Iran for assistance provided in the construction the tunnel.  

“ Tajikistan will become transit country soon and roads of Tajikistan will allow reviving the Great Silk Route ,” the president said, noting to the necessity of improving road communication between Dushanbe , Khujand and the Uzbek border town of Chanoq .  The project for rehabilitation of the road Dushanbe-Khujand-Chanoq is supposed to be finished in 2008.

Rahmonov also noted that Iranian construction firm “Sobir International” also would construct the Chormaghzak tunnel within the framework of the Sangtuda-2 project.  

President Ahmadinejad, for his part, noted that they considered development of Tajikistan as development of Iran .  He highly appraised work of Tajik and Iranian specialists and noted that the Anzob tunnel was the result of cooperation of two fraternal countries.  “Cooperation between our countries is not aimed to hurt any other nation,” said Ahmadinejad, “Our bilateral cooperation is aimed at development of the region.”