TEHRAN - Iran’s Minister of Energy Ali-Akbar Mehrabian has said that the Islamic Republic stands among the top four countries in the world in the field of dam construction as it meets 95% of its needs in dam construction, irrigation network development, and hydropower plant construction.

Mehrabian made the remarks on Sunday in the inauguration ceremony of the Qiz Qalasi Dam, which is a joint water venture between Iran and Azerbaijan, noting that the completion of the Khudafarin and Qiz Qalasi Dams, worth $600 million, will help make operational the chain of dams constructed on the Aras River.

Iran has significant achievements in the construction and operation of 200 large storage dams, over 90 percent of which have been commissioned after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, said the minister.

The Aras River basin, with an area of 102,000 square kilometers and a length of 1,071 kilometers, is shared among four countries (Iran, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and Armenia), and has historically been a source of prosperity and development for the region, as well as a unifying factor among the resident communities, the minister added.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Azerbaijan Republic have common water interests along the 420-kilometer border of the Aras River, he said, adding that the river has been considered a symbol of collaboration and amicable ties, as well as a vital resource for the residents of the border area over the past 50 years.

By constructing this dam, Tehran and Baku pursue common objectives, including flood management, water regulation for drought conditions, water allocation between the two sides, optimal use of water and soil resources, agricultural progress, economic development through infrastructure expansion, and modernization of traditional agriculture, tourism development based on the abundant natural and historical attractions, and annual generation of 540 gigawatt-hours of energy storage capacity by the use of two power plants, Mehrabian concluded.

EF/