French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Central Asia on Wednesday, aiming to boost France's profile in a region where Russia, China, Turkey and Europe are all jostling for influence.
Macron landed in the early hours of the morning at the Kazakh capital Astana for talks with counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and is due to sign contracts in sectors including pharmaceuticals and aerospace.
Energy drive
After meeting university students, the French leader will then travel on to Samarkand in neighbouring Uzbekistan where he will stay until Thursday.
France wants to put its political and economic mark on the energy-rich region.
French energy giant EDF is in the running to build Kazakhstan's first nuclear power station - a project that is due to be decided on in a referendum this year.
Critical minerals vital for clean energy technologies, which the region has plenty of, will also be part of the talks.
The head of French uranium company Orano, which already has a mine in Kazakhstan, will be in Macron's delegation.
France is the fifth-biggest foreign investor in Kazakhstan, ahead of China, mainly because of the involvement of energy giant TotalEnergies in the massive Kashagan offshore oil field project.
France Kazakhstan
Trade turnover between France and Kazakhstan reached 5.3 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in 2022 and Kazakhstan supplies around 40 percent of France's uranium needs.
Central Asia, which has long been under Russian influence and was part of the Soviet Union, is receiving increasing attention from other powers as Moscow is taken up with its war in Ukraine.
China is particularly active with its "New Silk Road" project, but Europe and Turkey have also shown growing interest.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are due to visit Astana on Thursday and Friday, shortly after Macron.
(with AFP)
