Voters, obviously tired of a long war with Azerbaijan which had drained its economy, propelled Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party to a huge victory.

Askar Akayev was once lauded by Western countries as a democratic outlier in a region of despots and strongmen.

The illicit business has boomed as bicycles become a market increasingly being filled with high-end models costing thousands of Euros.

According to Azerkontrakt, this agreement will allow the parties to make optimal use of their oil and gas infrastructure, and against the background of the rapid growth of gas production in the country

The central bank and government officials had confidently predicted through the spring that a new tranche – Ukraine had requested $700 million – would be forthcoming in September.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has cried foul over the $11 billion route, calling it a sell-out to the Kremlin leader, though his rhetoric has calmed of late.

The countries of Central Asia have reason to be concerned about Afghanistan in the wake of the Western withdrawal. Yet it remains unclear how they will mitigate the security risks, and what major power support to do this might look like.