Kazakhstan and France about to open new page in bilateral relations
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko and Director of the Continental Europe Department of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic Brice Roquefeuil held on Friday the 10th anniversary round of Kazakh-French political consultations, Kazinform has learnt from the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The diplomats discussed the state of bilateral cooperation, welcoming its active dynamics and the trustful dialogue established between the two heads of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Emmanuel Macron, in recent years.
According to Deputy Minister Vassilenko, “the first visit of our President to Paris in November 2022, and then, less than a year later, the return visit of the French President to Kazakhstan brought the strategic partnership between our countries to a new level. Today, we are standing on the eve of giving our strategic partnership a new quality”.
The French side also emphasised that Paris attaches importance to further deepening the strategic partnership with Astana. As the head of the French delegation said, “taking into account the bilateral events planned for the near future, we are about to open a new page in our relations”.
At the consultations, further prospects of Kazakh-French partnership were discussed as well as steps to deepen comprehensive cooperation in all spheres. Trade and economic, investment, energy, agriculture, transport and logistics, cultural and humanitarian areas, as well as water issues were identified as key areas.
The sides reviewed the status of joint investment projects, including in machine building, renewable energy and rare-earth metals, outlining the necessary steps to accelerate their implementation.
The French side reaffirmed its strong commitment to providing full support to Astana in the development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the European Union.
In addition, the parties exchanged views on the pressing issues on the international and regional agenda.
Following the negotiations, the diplomats expressed mutual interest in strengthening and expanding bilateral ties at all levels and confirmed their commitment to further development of cooperation between Kazakhstan and France in the spirit of strategic partnership.
Kazakhstan and France signed the Treaty of Strategic Partnership in Paris in June 2008.
In 2023, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the France amounted to $4.2 billion (Kazakh exports - 3 billion, imports - 1.2 billion). This is 7.7% higher than the previous year’s turnover of $4.0 billion. Bilateral trade during January-March 2024 reached $1.4 billion, up 34.5% from the same period in 2023 ($1.1 billion).
The total volume of French investments in Kazakhstan’s economy since 2005 is $19.1 billion, which makes France the 5th largest investor in Kazakhstan. Today, there are 204 enterprises with French capital operating in Kazakhstan.
