Azerbaijan and Armenia remained in a deadlock as the two antagonists inched forward with the tedious process of demarcating their borders. At the heart of the matter is restoring long-closed trade routes.

Baikonur is not only Russia’s main space port but, for now, the only launchpad in the world sending manned flights into space. Since NASA retired the space shuttle in 2011, Russia’s Soyuz rockets -- launched from Baikonur -- are the only option for astronauts headed to the International Space Station.