Yeltsin given his weight in brandy

Renowned for his love of the hard stuff, during his period in office, he also had a 100-year-old vat opened in his honour.

However on his visit to the Yerevan Brandy Factory, with his wife Naina, the 71-year-old ex-president is reported to have drunk very little.

He sniffed and sipped the century-old vintage, from a barrel sealed in 1902 by the founder of the factory, a Russian merchant Ivan Shustov.

It is said to have been opened only twice before - the first time in 1979, for a visit to the factory by an ethnic Armenian war hero, Marshall Bagramyan.

The second time was earlier this year, to mark the anniversary of the factory's takeover by the French firm, Pernod-Ricard.

Travel plans

A 420-litre barrel of young brandy was sealed to mature in his presence and will carry the Yeltsin name.

He or his heirs are welcome to take it when they please.

Mr Yeltsin amused factory staff by asking for the vat to be moved from its place next to a barrel named after Nikolai Ryzhkov, a former Soviet prime minister who was his political enemy.

He was invited to Armenia by President Robert Kocharian, but told a press conference he plans to visit all 12 countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Mr Yeltsin spent nearly a decade at or near the pinnacle of power in Russia, before suddenly retiring on 31 December 1999 and naming Vladimir Putin his successor.