ASTANA – Over 20.5 million people and 4.4 million vehicles have crossed Kazakhstan’s state border over seven months of this year, Colonel Gani Agadilov, first deputy head of the Border Control Department of the National Security Committee’s Border Service, said at an Aug. 16 briefing in the Central Communications Service (CCS), reported CCS.
Kazakhstan’s state border. Photo credit: ortcom.kz.
The twofold growth compared to the same period of last year was attributed to an increase in the country’s transport and transit potential, the opening of new air routes, and the facilitation of visa regulations for foreign travelers to boost inbound tourism.
According to Agadilov, up to 190,000 people, on average, cross the border daily, including 90,000 foreign nationals and 30,000 vehicles.
Presently, 101 air, sea, river, train, and vehicle checkpoints are opened in Kazakhstan, with seven checkpoints operating with China, eight with the Kyrgyz Republic, 51 with Russia, two with Turkmenistan, and 11 with Uzbekistan. The country also has three sea and 19 air border crossings.
Border guards check the legality of documents and the grounds for entry or exit from Kazakhstan and also inspect vehicles to identify border violators and prevent the transport of prohibited materials and items, such as weapons, ammunition, narcotics, explosives, radioactive and poisonous substances.
First Deputy Head of the Border Protection Department of the National Security Committee’s Border Service, Colonel Serik Akhmetkaliyev, reported that 1,183 offenses were detected at the state border in the year’s first half.
Border control officers prevented 324 cases of the export of foreign currency worth more than 2.8 billion tenge ($6 million) and 12 attempts of illegal import of jewelry valued at over 184 million tenge (nearly $399,000).
Agadilov informed that officers suppressed 166 attempts to illegally transfer weapons of various calibers and ammunition across the border. Some 3,335 religious books and pamphlets detected were submitted for examination.
