2023-11-02 10:10:57
Emmanuel Macron arrived in Uzbekistan on Wednesday evening from Kazakhstan. He is the first French president to visit this country since François Mitterrand in 1994. This former Soviet republic, a former Russian pre-requisite, is increasingly courted by China, Turkey and Europe. Uzbekistan, which is the most populous country in Central Asia with 35 million inhabitants, has been banking since 2016 on economic openness to attract foreign investors and on the diversification of its partners to establish its independence.
Beyond their economic openness, these two republics, however, remain authoritarian regimes where the repression of demonstrations is often violent, despite a stated desire for political liberalization. But the Élysée, for its part, prefers to emphasize the “reform dynamics” in these countries.
In this context, France hopes to double its still modest bilateral trade each year. French exports to Uzbekistan amounted to 240 million euros in 2022. Two French groups, Veolia and Suez, are already well established with respectively the management of district heating and water sanitation in the capital Tashkent. The French uranium specialist, Orano, already very present in neighboring Kazakhstan, aims to also develop its extraction activity in Uzbekistan.
Securing uranium supplies
In addition, the export of uranium should also be on the agenda as well as the routes of its supply through Uzbekistan. According to IAEA safety rules, uranium must be transported by land. That is, either through the territory of Russia or through Azerbaijan. However, France is currently not on good terms with either country.
On Wednesday in Kazakhstan, Emmanuel Macron called for “accelerating” the strategic partnership with Kazakhstan and praised the refusal of any “vassalization” of the country, particularly vis-à-vis Russia, despite the “pressures” suffered. Contracts relating to strategic minerals, the production of vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease and the development of a major wind farm in collaboration with TotalEnergies have been signed.
During this visit, Emmanuel Macron, as in Kazakhstan where agreements were signed to promote the teaching of the French language, the President of the Republic will inaugurate a branch of the Alliance Française in Samarkand. Like François Mitterrand in 1994, the head of state, accompanied by his host, should also visit several sites in this legendary city where the warlord Tamerlan had sumptuous buildings built in the 14th century. He will notably discover the impressive ocher brick building topped with a turquoise blue ceramic dome housing the tomb of Tamerlane, architect of the city’s glorious past.
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