At the age of 31, her entrepreneurial journey already featured experiences that take decades for many, from settling in the Silicon Valley and rapidly growing Grabr to fighting for survival of the business during the pandemic.

Today, no more than 5,000 people live in the town. Lack of work is the main problem. The coal mines are abandoned. The local population hopes to preserve the town and villages. Not by the reanimation of industry, but with tourism.

Nestled between the Pamir and Alay Mountains ranges, the landlocked country of Tajikistan has garnered little attention in the Western press since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The implementation of this article would create unique connectivity not only between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also with Russia, Turkey, and Iran and potentially even the greater neighbourhood.

Umm-El-Banine Assadoulaeff, known as “Banine,” who immortalised her childhood in early 20th century Baku in her memoir, Days of the Caucasus, lived through the 20th century’s most defining moments.

The Uzbek government, historically very wary of the spread of radicalism from Afghanistan, offered conflicting reports last week about incidents involving an alleged collision between an Uzbek MiG-29 and a fleeing Afghan military plane.

In an extensive interview with CNN Türk, he emphasised that statements by Kremlin officials that they want to help rebuild Armenia's devastated army - crushed during Baku's 2020 retaking of long-occupied Azerbaijani lands, "were devoid of logic".

In recent days, several incidents set off alarm bells in Tashkent over the sudden deterioration in the situation and a reluctance to let Afghani military absconders into Uzbekistan.