“Two months have passed and less than two percent of the population has been vaccinated,” the president’s press service said he told ministers. “Delays are not an abstract problem, but a matter of national importance. We are talking here about national security, more illness and death rates, our citizens.”

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are set to increase oil output gradually from May under a fresh OPEC+ deal, energy ministries of both oil-producing countries said.

The IMF and Ukraine agreed on a $5 billion standby programme last year and $2.1 billion was disbursed soon after, but the scheme has been on hold amid doubts on fundamental issues of state and legal practice. An extended mission ended in February without any agreement, with the Fund saying more progress was needed.

The World Bank forecasts an economic recovery in the South Caucasus and in Central Asia this year, with further growth expected in 2022.