COUNTRY BUSINESS CARD
The airline’s airliner, having taxied into the parking lot, did not turn off the engine for several minutes.
At this time, the border guards, having already examined the adjacent territory, were preparing to conduct border control of aircraft passengers. The engines stopped, and the first guests of Independent Kazakhstan began to leave the salon. So, exactly 30 years ago, the country’s first international flight was accepted.
- Welcome to Kazakhstan! - the border guards greeted the passengers of the Urumqi-Alma-Ata flight with hospitable cordiality. - Please show your documents.
As it should be, acquaintance with a country that has recently appeared on the world map began with a meeting with border guards.
A long queue of foreign tourists lined up at the window of the passport control booth. Ensign Alexander Goroshko, hiding his excitement, set to work. So the first passenger presented a document.
Seytpetkalov Abdulseyit was born in 1947. The inspector gave him an attentive look. “A bright cap, a plaid shirt, gray trousers, boots with thick soles. A backpack is in his hands. It’s curious ... He looks like forty - forty-five years old, and maybe more. He’s got a snub-nosed profile, clean-shaven face, lively eyes. He keeps himself at ease, with dignity, as if he passed the border dozens of times. Yes, that is right. Here are the stamps of other countries. Wow, he has traveled almost all over Europe. We ought to check and count the points,”- so, one thought of Goroshko was ahead of another.
But from the outside, his face expressed nothing but concentration.
Having written down the citizen’s identification data in the registration logs in a neat, legible handwriting, the border guard finally returned the passport to the passenger with a benevolent smile.
Yes, the lack of technical means necessary for high-quality and fast access control caused inconveniences and led to the expenditure of more time. In addition, he had to keep information about visas, types of passports of all countries in his head. But it was not in vain that Warrant Officer A. Goroshko recently completed a two-week course in Moscow at Sheremetyevo. Now, having received good knowledge, he boldly used them in practice.
An hour of hard work has passed on checking passports. It’s no joke to meet an international flight with more than a hundred passengers on board for the first time.
And who doubts that the service at checkpoints is no less difficult than on border paths?!
It also requires not hefty endurance, vigilance and professionalism. True, the service of the inspectors is specific - “to look for a needle in a haystack”. And how else can you qualify their activities in conditions when you have to control hundreds of passengers, while showing not only observation, but also restraint, demonstrate high knowledge of various samples of documents, be able to notice unusual details in the behavior and appearance of people crossing the border.
In addition, the behavior and appearance of the inspectors give foreigners the first impression of the country and its people. That is why not only attention and the highest responsibility are required from the border guards in order to prevent possible violations of the border crossing procedure, but also courtesy, hospitality and a culture of communication.
It is not for nothing that border checkpoints have always played the role of a kind of a visiting card of the state. That is why the procedure of meeting and checking passengers of the first international flight of sovereign Kazakhstan is so exciting for the military personnel of the Alma-Ata border control unit.
***
Having returned the document to the last passenger standing in line, Goroshko looked around.
His colleagues, experienced inspectors who had served for many years at large international checkpoints, captain V. Prodedovich, senior warrant officers A. Tkach, V. Reshetnikov, warrant officers E. Tushin,
B. Khalizov and others, were also doing their work with concentration in the neighboring cabins.
Senior Lieutenant Smirnov, the Head of the checkpoint, stood a little to one side, in an impeccably ironed tunic and a snow-white shirt with a tie. It was clear from his approving look that he was satisfied with the service of his personnel.
But it’s too early to relax. More intense everyday life awaits the border guards.
From this day on, the flow of passengers will constantly increase. This is understandable: the young sovereign Republic of Kazakhstan is increasingly establishing itself in the international arena. The influx of foreign tourists and entrepreneurs will directly affect the work of controllers.
The democratization of society has made Kazakhstan more accessible to foreign citizens. And all this over time began to require serious changes in border protection.
***
30 years have passed. In the night sky, like a giant heron, an airliner soars calmly,slightly waving its silvery steel wings as it lands. Below, in the pitch darkness, there spreads a sea of bright lights of the night city.
The plane gently touched the wheels of the ground and rolled along the concrete strip. The engines slowed down and the roar of the propellers subsided slightly. The plane ran a little and stopped.
Despite the late hour, the Almaty airport continued to live a full life. Almost every fifteen minutes, on its lanes, illuminated with yellow lights, huge aircrafts of different directions take off or land: Antalya, Dubai, London, Frankfurt-on-Main, Beijing, Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Seoul, Male, Doha, Kutaisi, Tbilisi, etc.
And again, as expected, the guests of Kazakhstan are the first to be met by warriors in green caps. They are strict, fit, their appearance is impeccable, their eyes are attentive.
Dozens of passport control booths are equipped with modern technical means to check the legality of crossing the state border.
- Please, show your passport, - the border guard clearly but politely addresses the passengers.
Then he scans the document. And on the computer monitor, complete information is immediately displayed for identification of the person and verification for «falsity». Having found no violations, the border guard returns the passport to the owner.
- It’s all right, come through! - the controller smiles affably.
Outside the window, the lights of landing airliners sparkle, carrying thousands of citizens from all over the world. The sky of sovereign Kazakhstan is open to all respectable guests of the country.