The Aqina-Andkhoi railway in the northern province of Faryab was officially opened on Thursday.
President Ashraf Ghani and Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow both participated in the ceremony online and made remarks about the railway as well as a new fiber optic network and energy projects, including a 500kw electricity line running from Aqina to Sheberghan, capital of Jawzjan province, and a 220kw electricity line connecting Sheberghan to Mazar-e-Sharif, capital of Balkh province.
President Ghani called the project “important for the development of the economy and for connecting the two countries.”
“Friendship between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan is a valuable relationship for the government and citizens of Afghanistan,” Ghani said.
The 30-kilometer railway connects Aqina port with Andkhoi in Turkmenistan.
A memorandum of understanding for the construction of the railway was signed by Afghan and Turkmen officials in February 2019.
A month ago, the Herat-Khaf railway–a major joint infrastructural project between Afghanistan and Iran–officially opened, and was hailed as a vital and important project, not only for Afghanistan and Iran but also for the region.
