Azerbaijan, Russia lay foundation for motorway bridge over Samur River
Today the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation have held the groundbreaking ceremony of the motorway bridge over Samur River on the border between the two countries.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place in the territory of Jarag-Gazmalar checkpoint in Maharramkend region of Dagestan.
The event was attended by Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ramin Guluzade, Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Maksim Sokolov, acting head of the Republic of Dagestan Vladimir Vasilyev and Azerbaijani officials.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade said as a result of the policy carried out by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev, there is a steady development in all spheres of the country, including the transport sector.
“Today Azerbaijan actively participates in the implementation of several projects of international importance , such as Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, North-South transport corridor and so on. It is also worth noting the construction of a new international seaport in Alat settlement. The construction of the bridge over Samur River, which is being implemented jointly with the Russian side, is also part of the infrastructure projects implemented by Azerbaijan,” the Minister said.
Ramin Guluzade emphasized that today’s event is characterized by its special significance and is the logical conclusion of joint work.
The Minister recalled that during the official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Azerbaijan in 2013, along with other documents, an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of a new bridge over Samur River on the border between two countries was signed, and described it as evidence of the high attention paid to the cooperation in the field of transport by heads of two countries.
“I am confident that the opening of the bridge over Samur River will allow vehicles to be checked promptly at checkpoints, which will serve to increase the volume of transportation between the two countries in the future.
In addition, people who have kin relations live on both sides of the river. Therefore, the bridge will also have great social importance,” Ramin Guluzade said.
Russia’s Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov said in his speech that the bridge, the foundation of which is being laid today, meets modern standards. Stating the bridge will be put into operation in 2019, Sokolov said the bridge is also of great importance in terms of facilitating the movement of people to Russia and Azerbaijan, at the same time relations between the two countries will be even more convenient.
“Today we are witnessing a historic event. The work for the implementation of this project has been going on for a long time. I believe that the construction of the bridge will contribute to the trade relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, as well as the economy of both countries.”
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin spoke about long-term friendly relations and cooperation between our countries. He stressed the importance of the infrastructure projects implemented in terms of expanding these relations.
It should be noted that an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of a new motorway bridge over Samur River was signed on 13 September 2013. The new bridge will replace the old one built in 1957. The length of the bridge is 325.3 meters and its width is 17.3 meters. The bridge will consist of three lanes.
Note that a Protocol on the Amendments to the Agreement on the construction of a bridge over Samur River in Samur checkpoint (Azerbaijan Republic) and Yaraq-Gazmalar checkpoint (Russian Federation) between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Russian Federation was also signed.
