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 France Brice Roquefeuil on May 24 held the 10th anniversary round of Kazakh-French political consultations in Astana.
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, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said.
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, trade and economic, investment, energy, agriculture, transport and logistics, cultural and humanitarian areas, as well as water issues were identified as key areas of Kazakh-French partnership.
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.
Kazakhstan and France signed the Treaty of Strategic Partnership in Paris in June 2008.
In 2023, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and France amounted to $4.2 billion, 7.7% more than the previous year’s turnover of $4 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.
