ADB gives Tajikistan $100M for road project

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is giving the impoverished Central Asian nation of Tajikistan $100 million to rebuild road links with bitter rival neighbor Uzbekistan.

ADB’s Tajikistan office said Thursday that the highway would form part of a 10,000-kilometer (6,200-mile) road network connecting Western Europe and Russia to the Middle East and South Asia.

The dilapidated 113-kilometer (70-mile) Aini-Penjikent road in Tajikistan lies along a section of the ancient Silk Route that once brought a flourishing trade to Central Asia. The work will rebuild the road up to Uzbekistan’s border.

Ties between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have soured over sharp differences on how to share natural resources.

ADB transport specialist Zheng Wu says the route will strengthen regional cooperation and cut costs for freight.