Russia closes border with Azerbaijan for non-citizens of CIS

Russia's border with Georgia as well as Azerbaijan will remain closed for all those who are not citizens of the CIS, a Russian-led grouping of ex-Soviet states, said a decree signed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and published on Tuesday.

The temporary measure is aimed at preventing weapons smuggling and "members of foreign terrorist organisations" from entering Russia, said the decree published in the official Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily.

The decree said a portion of the border, where the Moscow-backed separatist Abkhazia region touches Russia, will remain open. Georgian border officials could not be reached for comment.

/Reuters/