Azerbaijan's state energy firm SOCAR submitted an application to Russian oil pipeline operator Transneft to transport 1.209 million tonnes of oil via Russia in 2022, up from 1.09 million tonnes that is planned to be shipped this year.

Fitch forecasts Ukraine's GDP growth of 4.1 percent this year, helped by a pick-up in agriculture and 12.9 percent real wage growth year-on-year in June, with short lockdowns in January and April subtracting an estimated 0.6 percentage points from annual growth.

Uzbekistan ranked 146 out of 180 countries and territories in the 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by Transparency International, well below its neighbour and closes trade partner Kazakhstan, which ranked 94.

Trade between Moldova and the "separatist" area is robust. Transnistria is even part of Moldova's Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the European Union, something unheard of in other "breakaway" ex-Soviet entities.

Lead-managers of the syndication were Citi Bank and JP Morgan. The funds were provided for five years under SOCAR's guarantee at LIBOR/EURIBOR + 3.45 percent.

Kazakhstan's 'BBB' IDRs reflect strong fiscal and external balance sheets that have been resilient to the coronavirus and oil price shocks, and financing flexibility underpinned by accumulated oil revenue savings,