You're reading: Yanukovych, Berdimuhamedov open Ukrainian-built bridge over Amu Darya

Atamurat – Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych and Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov opened on Thursday a new road bridge across the Amu Darya River. 

The bridge was built by Ukrainian company Altcom in the city of Atamurat.

“I believe that the opening of the bridge to traffic will be very important not only for the national economy of Turkmenistan, but also in the context of the country’s integration into international transport corridors, and the revival of the Silk Road,” Yanukovych said at the opening ceremony of the bridge.

According to the Ukrainian president, the construction of the bridge has a symbolic meaning: “It has not only connected the two banks of the Amu Darya, but the souls and the hearts of the Turkmen and Ukrainian partners.”

In turn, Berdimuhamedov said that this was not the only joint Ukrainian-Turkmen project undertaken.

“Our countries have a huge potential and vast experience of economic and humanitarian cooperation. Dozens of joint projects have been implemented in the oil and gas sector as well as in the construction of utilities, in the area of culture and education,” he said.

The construction of a 1,415 meter-long bridge across the Amu Darya between the cities of Atamurat and Kerkichi began in 2010.

Yanukovych is on a state visit to Turkmenistan on Feb. 12-14.