DUSHANBE (Itar-Tass) – A new bridge across the Pyandzh River will provide stable contact between Tajikistan’s Pamirs and Afghanistan. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon witnessed the opening of the bridge on Tuesday, the presidential press office said.

The bridge was built under an intergovernmental agreement of Tajikistan and Afghanistan, with financial support of the Aga Khan Foundation.

The bridge with the lifting capacity of 30 tonnes cost about US $3 million. “More than 70,000 Tajiks and Afghans who live on both banks of the river will have direct trade and economic relations, which will improve their material status,” Rahmon said.

In all, there are five large bridges between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The largest bridge of $35 million was built by U.S. servicemen near the Nizhny Pyandzh checkpoint.