Uzbekistan, a double-landlocked country with almost 35 million people, has been actively promoting the South and Central Asia rail link that will go through its war-torn neighbour Afghanistan, giving it access to the ports of Karachi, Gwadar and Qasim.

Earlier this year, Petronas decided to sell its 15.5 percent stake in the project.

Azerbaijan mainly produces oil on its major Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) oilfields, the largest oil field block in Azerbaijan developed by a BP-led international consortium.

The economy grew by 6 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, reversing five consecutive quarters of negative growth linked to the imposition of restrictions owing to COVID-19.