Armenia, Iran to construct roads for INSTC
Armenia and Iran signed a contract on Monday to construct a part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) in southern Armenia during a visit by Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash to Yerevan.
Under the contract, the two countries will reconstruct the Agarak-Vardanidzor Road (about 21km long), and construct a road that will stretch about 11km from Vardanidzor to the tunnel exit within the framework of the INSTC Investment Program - Tranche 4, Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure announced.
The contract was signed by Gor Avetisyan, the executive director of Armenia’s Road Department Foundation, and representatives of the Tehran-based Abad Rahan Pars International Group and Tunnel Sadd Ariana joint venture, according to armradio.am
The project is financed by the Eurasian Development Bank loan and the Armenian government.
Construction works are planned to start at the end of 2023, and will be completed within three years.
The reconstruction of the 32km road section is to fall under the framework of the ongoing Kajaran-Agarak reconstruction project on the border and meet advanced international standards in terms of road safety, convenience, and travel time reduction.
Regarding the security of the INSTC, Armenia’s Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said, “There is no way to say that there are no security issues, but at the same time, both Armenia and Iran have a clear commitment to the implementation of this project, and Iran has always expressed unequivocally its unconditional support for Armenia’s territorial integrity.”
The project plans to build five new intersections, six new flyovers, two new tunnels, with a total length of 920 meters, and 17 new bridges.
Bazrpash stressed that the current bridge on the Armenian-Iranian border is not enough for the large amount of traffic, adding that this new bridge can contribute to the development of Armenian-Iranian economic relations.
The current bridge on the Armenia-Iran border was built in 1995 on the Araks River, news.am wrote.
The Iranian minister pointed out that negotiations are underway between Iran and Armenia on holding a tripartite meeting between Iran, Georgia, and Armenia in order to facilitate transit in the INSTC, Tasnim news agency reported.
Bazrpash said that Iranian companies are ready to assist the Armenian side in various projects. “We inform any Armenian company engaged in the field of housing construction and road construction that we are ready to assist them in their projects in Iran,” the Iranian official added.
During his visit, the two parties also agreed to nullify road duties for trucking as it “will make it possible to deliver goods at a lower price,” Bazrpash said at a press briefing in Yerevan.
The Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan described the move as an “important political decision”.