BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 6. The ceremony of laying the foundation of the automobile bridge and border-customs infrastructure, projects on shore protection measures between Azerbaijan and Iran took place and construction work began on October 6, TurkicWorld reports.

The ceremony was held in Azerbaijan’s Aghbend village of the Zangilan district within the framework of the implementation of the "Memorandum of Understanding signed between the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on creating new communication links between the East Zangazur economic region of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through the territory of Iran".

The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Co-Chairman of the State Commission on Economic, Trade and Humanitarian Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran Shahin Mustafayev and Minister of Roads and Urban Development of Iran, Co-Chairman of the commission from the Iranian side Mehrdad Bazrpash.

Representatives of the relevant state institutions informed Shahin Mustafayev and Mehrdad Bazrpash in detail about the coordinates and technical parameters of the bridge over the Aras river, the construction of which has begun, the project of the access road to the bridge, the indicators of the corresponding border and customs point to be established on the territory, shore protection measures and measures to clean the riverbed, which must be carried out to return the river to the old course, plans to build bridges and a railway line passing through the territory of Iran between the East Zangezur Economic Region and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

The co-chairs emphasized that the automobile and border-customs infrastructure being created will serve to increase transit cargo transportation through the territory of the countries and facilitate entry and exit to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

In general, at least 1,100 trucks and other vehicles will be able to receive a checkpoint at the state border daily, as well as a road bridge with seven lanes of traffic after construction is completed.