Iran opens key bridge on Turkmen border to boost trade with Central Asia

Iran has opened a key bridge connecting cities on the two sides of the border with Turkmenistan amid efforts to expand trade with countries in the Central Asia region.

Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami used a video conference session on Monday to watch the opening of Sarakhs Bridge, a structure located in northeast Iran straddles the border with Turkmenistan.

The Turkmen Minister of Construction and Architecture Rahim Gandymov, as well as local governors of Iran’s Razavi Khorasan Province and Turkmenistan’s Ahal Region also watched on as the land bridge was opened to connect namesake cities of Sarakhs on the two sides of the border.

Eslami said during the opening ceremony that the bridge and its customs facilities would handle traffic for 1,000 trucks per day.

He said the bridge would play a key role in boosting trade between Tehran and Ashgabat while it would also help Iran expand its economic ties with countries in the Central Asia region.