The EU leaders said before the summit they would make clear their hopes that Russia would be able to find the killer of the murdered journalist, Anna Politkovskaya.

On Georgia, Mr Putin said that Russia had not started the latest round of tensions between the two countries.

Iranian leaders have accused foreign powers, in particular the United States of trying to foment unrest among minority groups in Iran. Iranian Azeri activists insist they have never sought assistance from the US government. “It is a shame to link the Azerbaijani movement in Iran with US policy. This movement is a century old. Different states have [hoped] to obtain benefits from our movement throughout history, but it does not mean that we are going to be a tool in their hands,” said Saleh Ildirim, the chairman of Southern Azerbaijan Independence Party.