The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokaïev, is on an official visit to France on November 4 and 5, 2024. This meeting aims to consolidate already well-established economic and commercial ties between the two nations. Indeed, France, Kazakhstan's first European partner, plays a central role in the development of key sectors such as energy and infrastructure in this Central Asian country.
France, Kazakhstan's number one economic partner in Europe
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, France and Kazakhstan have forged strategic ties which have been strengthened over the years. François Mitterrand was in fact the first European head of state to recognize, in 1992, the independence of Kazakhstan, then to make an official visit there.recalled Gulsara Arystankulova, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to France, in an interview with Echoes. On November 1, 2023, Emmanuel Macron was the second President of the Republic to visit this Central Asian country. A year later, it is now the turn of Kassym-Jomart Tokaïev, the Kazakh president, to make a reciprocal state visit to Paris.
France currently represents nearly 90% of Kazakhstan's trade with the European Union, confirming its status as a priority economic partner. Privileged areas of cooperation include energy, with particular emphasis on nuclear power and natural resources. Kazakhstan is notably a major supplier of uranium to France, a vital resource for its energy and defense industries. Emmanuel Macron's visit to Astana in November 2023 also focused on this subject, reinforcing the importance of France as an investor in Kazakhstan's strategic resources.
Dynamic and diversified trade
The year 2024 marked an intensification of trade between the two countries. According to Kazakh data, bilateral trade reached four billion dollars between January and August, an increase of 44.7% compared to the same period in 2023. Kazakh exports to France, which include crude oil, titanium and uranium, account for the majority of trade. Kazakhstan also supplies turbine engines and rapeseed, diversifying its export portfolio to the French market.
On the import side, France stands out for its exports of high value-added products, notably aircraft, pharmaceutical products and cosmetics. More than 200 French companies are active in Kazakhstan, such as Total, Orano, Alstom and Saint-Gobain, which are strengthening their presence in strategic sectors such as petrochemicals, green energy and infrastructure. To meet the country's growing needs, French companies are considering investing more in projects related to water management and energy infrastructure. EDF could in particular participate in the construction of the first Kazakh nuclear power plant, potentially via a consortium of foreign companies. Finally, water infrastructure modernization projects are attracting growing interest from French companies, in a context where Kazakhstan places emphasis on the sustainable management of its natural resources.
