Eurasian Development Bank allocates $18.5 ml to Tajikistan to construct highway

DUSHANBE. May 20 (Interfax) - The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and Tajikistan's Finance Ministry have signed an agreement to finance the construction of the first section of the Labijar-Kalaikhumb highway, the bank's press service reported.

"The EDB will provide the Republic of Tajikistan with concessional financing totaling $18.5 million, including $17 million in loans and a $1.5 million targeted grant, under the agreement," according to the statement.

Tajikistan plans to use the funds to construct and reconstruct a 10-kilometer section of the highway, as well as construct three bridges. The project will improve the safety of freight transport, improve transport accessibility in mountainous areas, and create additional conditions to develop trade, entrepreneurship, and investment in the country's regions.

"The project is of strategic importance for the development of the country's transport infrastructure and will bolster transport links between the districts of republican subordination and the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region," according to the statement.

Established in 2006, the Eurasian Development Bank has authorized charter capital totaling $7 billion. Russia and Kazakhstan are the bank's largest shareholders, while Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan also participate. As of the end of December 2025, the EDB's accumulated portfolio included 326 projects with total investment of $19.6 billion.