Both leaders welcomed heightened ties with the EU. Baku said it invited the bloc to help with the post-war reconstruction of Azerbaijani lands looted and systematically destroyed during the Armenian occupation.

The EBRD loans are targeted towards supporting small and medium sized businesses, women entrepreneurs and green initiatives.

Kazakhstan issues 5, 7, and 10-year sovereign bond issues worth $554 million (10 billion Russian roubles) on Moscow, Astana (Kazakhstan) exchanges.

In this region, neighbouring Georgia is automatically associated with wine. Azerbaijan, by contrast, is rarely associated with viniculture, though its roots run deep.