Photo: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu/AFP
Veres Szabolcs
12/11/2024 19:16
France was one of the first Western countries to recognise the independence of all five Central Asian countries and establish diplomatic relations with them. In France, as in the European Union, attention to Central Asia grew in parallel with the exploration of hydrocarbon resources in the Caspian Basin, in the hope that good relations would enable it to buy the energy resources needed by the French economy at favourable prices. Paris' relations with Central Asia became more active after 11 September 2001, when it opened its embassies in all five countries of the region.
Relations between Kazakhstan and France are thriving, with annual meetings between the two presidents. Last year, Emmenul Macron visited Astana, and Tokayev's current state visit to France is a reciprocal visit.
According to an official statement from the Elysée Palace, this meeting in Paris allowed the two Heads of State to reaffirm the importance of the bilateral strategic partnership signed in 2008 and to further deepen it in order to strengthen their institutional, economic and cultural cooperation. From a Kazakh perspective, the visit to Paris fits in with Kazakhstan's efforts to diversify its international relations and continue its slow economic movement towards the European Union.
France and Kazakhstan have expressed their interest in jointly extracting deposits of rare earth elements, including uranium, and in cooperating in the fields of green energy and the nuclear industry. Although not a major focus of the meeting, a key topic of discussion was the possibility of the French state-owned company EDF participating in the construction of Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant.
In total, 24 agreements worth USD 2.2 billion were signed during the Paris meeting. In addition, during the Kazakhstan-France Business Council meeting, an agreement was reached that Orano, known for its expertise in uranium mining, will have the opportunity to start uranium mining in Kazakhstan.
In connection with the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, President Tokayev had earlier announced the idea of creating an international consortium of the world's leading companies with advanced technology in this field. Apart from France, Russia, the United States, China and South Korea have also announced their participation in this project.
However, such a project also raises wider security and geopolitical questions about the safety of the first Kazakh nuclear power plant to be built by such a consortium. France's involvement in the Kazakh concept is clear, given that more than 200 French companies are present in Kazakhstan today. In addition, France is losing a significant economic stake in Africa, which will have a negative impact on its image and weight on the international stage. France's activism in Kazakhstan shows that Paris is still strong.
French destinations in the region
France is above all driven by its ambition to change its status as a secondary player in the strategically vital Central Asian region behind China, Russia and Turkey. In addition, French diplomacy aims to intensify cooperation with the Central Asian countries, in particular Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, in order to diversify its energy sources. Recent turmoil in global energy markets and political tensions have highlighted the need for France to expand its energy import partners if Paris cannot cope with the nuclear issue, and energy-rich countries in the region could be well placed to do so.
Not least, France aims to step up cooperation with the countries of Central Asia by importing critical minerals and rare metals, which are necessary for the transition to green energy in Europe and, with it, in France.
Moreover, if we look at France's export flows to Central Asian countries over the last ten years, we can see that since the mid-2010s, there has been a dynamic growth with most Central Asian countries. However, the reverse is true for the period 2010 to 2015/2016.
The main French exports to Central Asia include aircraft and spacecraft parts, various electrical household appliances, pharmaceutical products, perfumes, cosmetics, railway locomotive parts and equipment, various chemical products, optical, technical and medical equipment.
The author is a researcher at the Eurasia Center.
