Russia fears Islamic influences in its old empire and will seek to keep a hold on the country through the deal.

ECONOMIST: Tajikistan

Its complex cuisine, however, remains largely unknown, much to the frustration of locals who are inordinately proud of their country's fiery fare, which draws on influences from Portuguese and Dutch colonists as well as culinary heavyweight India, its closest neighbour.

BBC: Foodie paradise in Sri Lanka's hill country

As a result, Cythera displays hearty remnants of its cultural bouillabaisse, with Venetian, Ottoman, British and Ancient Greek influences coexisting on the island.

BBC: The island of Aphrodite��s ancestors