Astara Bridge between Iran, Azerbaijan to Be Inaugurated in 2 Months
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s minister of roads and urban development said the Astara Bridge between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan will be opened in the next two months and will facilitate the trade between the two countries.
Elaborating on the achievements of his visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mehrdad Bazrpash pointed to the “Iran Road” as one of the mega projects in the current administration and added that this bridge will be constructed in line with the completion of the construction operation of the North-South and East-West corridor chains.
The Aras border crossing, located in the vicinity of the Aras River, is one of the official border crossings whose development is emphasized by the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development and the Iranian president, he said.
Bazrpash pointed to the construction of the Aghband Bridge, which will be constructed on Aras River and added that Iran will construct the road which starts from Aghband Bridge and continues up to the Jolfa region.
In addition, the two sides agreed to start constructing a railway in the vicinity of Aghband Bridge, he said, adding that construction of this bridge will be completed in a year.
Concurrently, the construction operation of the customs terminals between the two countries will start today, the roads minister added.
It is hoped that the bridge will be inaugurated in the next two months, he continued.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the roads minister pointed to the agreements pertinent to the Ministry of Energy for the construction operation of dams and added that the Khoda Afarin Dam is one of the important dams the construction operation of which has been completed.
The construction operation of two other dams is underway, with one of them witnessing 95 percent physical progress, he added.
The launch of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two countries is another topic raised between Iranian and Azeri officials, he stated.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has expressed his readiness to cooperate with Iran for the construction of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Bazrpash added.
Turning to some misunderstandings that occurred previously, the roads minister said that the Azeri president has vowed to reopen the Azerbaijan Embassy in Iran in the shortest time possible.