NIZHNY PANJ (TAJIKISTAN): A road bridge linking Tajikistan and Afghanistan paid for by the United States was officially opened on Sunday at a ceremony attended by the presidents of the two Central Asian countries.
The project, which cost USD 37 million, began in 2005.
The bridge, nearly 700 metres long and 11 metres across, straddles the river Panj which forms a natural border between the two countries, between the ports of Nizhny Panj on the Tajik side and Shir Khan Bandar in Afghanistan.
"This bridge of friendship is an historic event and will become an important link in the development of trade between the two countries," Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon said.
But he also acknowledged its position on the world's major drug trade routes.
"Everything must be done to ensure that it is not used by drug traffickers or people smugglers," he said, announcing the imminent creation of a free economic zone in the area.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who arrived in Tajikistan yesterday for a two-day working visit, said he was proud. "The bridge will improve economic and trade cooperation between the countries and the regions", he added.
US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez was also present at the opening ceremony of the bridge, which is the first major US project in Tajikistan.
The imposing concrete structure was designed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Before the bridge, there was only an intermittent ferry service across the fast-flowing river, used by a maximum dozen cars a day.
