MOSCOW, November 4 (AVN) -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday charged the Foreign Ministry with negotiating a visa regime with Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Military News Agency learned.
This measure should not, however, affect cooperation between Russia and the Trans-Caucasian states, Putin told a government session. He did not exclude that the visa regime would be imposed temporarily, until hostilities cease in the North Caucasus.
Russia has already accused Georgia and Azerbaijan of letting Chechen guerrillas use their territory for transit transportation of reinforcements and ammunition. These accusations were invoked again by director of the Federal Border Guard Service Konstantin Totsky who also spoke at the session.