Nearly $80 million is to be released immediately under a programme stretching over 40 months.

Putin’s news conference coincided with heightened tensions over what Ukrainian officials say is a deployment of more than 120,000 servicemen on its borders more than seven years after Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula and Kremlin proxies seized large chunks of territory in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.

Azerbaijan has until now paid scant attention to the growing worldwide wave of renewable energy sources.

The disputed communication links lie at the heart of the talks --- the talks have focused on a rail and road link between Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan.

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia appeared to make progress on issues preventing the conclusion of a peace deal - particularly the opening of communications links.

The outcome of last year’s hostilities has strengthened the position of Azerbaijan in the region and dealt a blow to the authority of Pashinyan.

The EU accuses Lukashenko of enticing the migrants to Belarus as a stepping stone to the EU across the Polish border by arranging additional flights, facilitating visas and accommodation.

The renewed violence coincided with efforts to resolve two issues hindering a durable peace between the neighbours – demarcation of the border and an agreement on allowing free transit for Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan.