Kazakhstan offers 14 days of visa-free travel to Indian tourists

Kazakhstan’s ambassador, on Tuesday, announced 14 days visa-free travel to his country for Indians.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurlan Zhalgasbayev expressed his hope that more Indian tourists and filmmakers will visit the country in the coming months. He said his country was also considering opening a full-fledged consulate in Mumbai.

The central Asian country’s ambassador was speaking to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan Mumbai on Tuesday, while celebrating the 30th anniversary of its diplomatic relations with India.

Zhalgasbayev also announced at the meeting that President of Kazakhstan Kassym Jomart Tokayev will be visiting India next year. He said he was persuading President Tokayev to visit Mumbai and address business forums during his visit.

The ambassador talked about the similarities between Kazakhstan and India—the two countries have comparable geographical areas as India is the seventh largest country in the world and Kazakhstan is the ninth largest—and wanted more tourists from India to his landlocked country.

Listing the advantages of a vacation in Kazakhstan, Zhalgasbayev said the air travel time between India and his country was less than four hours, and was full of beautiful steppes and lakes which vacationers and filmmakers would find as attractive destinations.

Wanting to have air connectivity between India and its capital city Astana, and largest city Almaty, he said direct air connectivity among these cities will enable more frequent visits by citizens of both countries.

Welcoming the Ambassador to Maharashtra, Governor Koshyari said even though it had only been 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and India, the cultural and trade relations between the two countries dated back to several centuries. Koshyari said he will be only happy to host the Kazakhstan President if the latter decides to visit Mumbai.

The Governor assured his support and cooperation to all efforts to promote business and cultural relations between India and Kazakhstan.

The Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Mumbai Mahendra Kumar Sanghi and officer Asif Navroj were also present during the meeting.