Azerbaijan's oil exports fell while gas exports surged after the country started exporting commercial natural gas to Europe from its Shah Deniz II field.

The World Bank will give Uzbekistan a $239 million loan to develop its water supply system and a $50 million loan to modernise its innovation system.

The country's economy has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and contracted by 4.4 percent last year. In the first quarter of this year, Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 2 percent year-on-year, casting doubt on 2021 growth predictions, which are in the range of 4-5 percent.

The agency forecast economic growth of 2.1 percent in 2021 and 2.9 percent in 2022, below the projected 'BB'-median of 4.2 percent growth.

Output in April slightly exceeded Kazakhstan’s OPEC+ obligations, but the energy ministry said that deviation from commitments would be compensated for in the future, taking into account major repair works that are expected to be conducted on large oil projects in the summer.

The Central Asian country's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021. Per capita GDP grew by 1 percent year-on-year to $353.4 in January-March.