- The border commanders of the Central Asian
part of the Commonwealth of Independent States have met in Batumin to discuss
the results of a joint operation that was carried out by relevant agencies
of Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan from June 10th
through 21st. The operation, called "Druzhba" or "Friendship",
was directed by the Kazakh Border Service with the participation of ministries
concerned. A number of Russian advisers from the border department of the
Russian Federal Security Service in Kirghizia have received the Kirghiz
Border Service's award - the Medal For Excellence in the Protection of
the State Border. The award came in appreciation for the Russians' successful
participation in joint operations, such as "Friendship", which
aimed at preventing the penetration of weapons, drugs and illegal migrants
into Central Asian countries. Along with Kirghizia the operation spread
to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. The border group was formed on the
basis of the 1997 border cooperation agreement between Kirghizia and Russia,
which marked the beginning of the handover to Kirghizia of sections of
the border that had been controlled by Russia.
- The Finnish city of Naantali has hosted a
joint news conference of the heads of Border Services of Russia and Finland
Vladimir Pronichev and Yakko Smolander. Speakers at the conference said
Russia and Finland have been taking all measures to make border monitoring
more flexible and efficient. According to Mr. Pronichev, the new methods
in the work of the Russian Border Service are designed to make crossing
the border easier on the one hand and step up the struggle against terrorism,
drug trafficking and illegal migration, on the other. In his turn, Mr.
Smolander said Finland supports Russia and is ready to make cooperation
in border and customs control more effective.
- Passengers from Russia and other countries
traveling by ferry from Saint Petersburg to Kaliningrad and back will no
longer have to go through border control. From July 14th this year they
can show any document they used to buy the tickets. The abolished check-up
procedure created unnecessary hurdles to Russians traveling by ferry.
- Border guards at the "Zabaikalsk"
checkpoint of the Pacific Border Department produced 53 tuners, sportswear,
leather overcoats and 5 kilometers of cable from under the seats and ventilation
sections of a bus they examined that was traveling from China to Russia.
The total weight of the smuggled goods is 600 kilograms and the owner is
a Chinese national.
- The "Putina-2004" operation has
entered its second phase in the Far East. The first phase brought about
two million rubles worth of illegally carried goods and belongings. Three
illegal fish shops have been closed and 12 people will face trial. The
second phase of the operation will last till the end of August.
- Border guards on the Russian-Georgian border
have recovered a 19th century painting, books printed in the 18th and 19th
centuries and other antiques from a cache in a "Setra" bus. The
confiscated items were handed over to North Ossetian law enforcement. The
bus driver, a Georgian, was detained.
- Russian border guards in Tajikistan protecting
the mountainous section of the Tajik-Afghan border have confiscated about
100 kilograms of drugs. The 10 bags with drugs were kept in a special hiding-place
on the border. The place was revealed to the Moscow border guards as they
chased an armed group of smugglers. Russian border guards serving at the
Tajik-Afghan border have confiscated nearly 1300 kilograms of drugs, including
more than 720 kilograms of heroin, since the beginning of the year.
- A drug smuggler has been detained on the Tajik-Afghan
border carrying 90 kilograms of drugs. The arrest took place during a joint
operation by Russian border guards and the illegal drug trade department
of the Tajik Interiour Ministry at a section controlled by Moscow border
guards. The border guards traced down a section of the Pyandzh River the
smugglers used to cross from Afghanistan into Tajikistan. Under the cover
of darkness three smugglers escaped in the direction of Afghanistan and
one - a Tajik - was arrested..
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