After an international aid donation from Russia, Tuvalu last year became the fifth country to recognise the independence of the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Russia has been drumming up support for Abkhazia and South Ossetia since the end of a war with Georgia in 2008 and the Pacific islands have been easily pushed in this direction.

Harder to comprehend is why Tuvalu, with a population of 10,500 people, and Armenia have now formally initiated diplomatic relations.

Perhaps the link is, again, Russia. Russia is an important ally of Armenia in the South Caucasus. It supplies Armenia with gas and pays rent on a large military base on Armenian soil.

Officially, no reason has been given for the new Armenia-Tuvalu diplomatic axis, although the Azerbaijani press is full of speculation the Pacific island nation is about to recognise the independence of Armenian-controlled Nagorno-Karabakh (which Azerbaijan still disputes).

More likely, though, is that Armenia hoped to win favour with Russia by bolstering the credibility of Tuvalu’s South Caucasus diplomatic strategy. Unlike Abkhazia and South Ossetia, at least Armenia is an internationally recognised nation state.