Central Asia has recently been the subject of very special attention from French diplomacy. In just one week, Emmanuel Macron received in Paris the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Chavkat Mirzoïev on November 22, then the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokaïev on November 29. Meanwhile, he also spoke by telephone with Emomali Rahmon, leader of Tajikistan. An unprecedented intensity of exchanges with this region of the world usually far from the heart of the concerns of the Quai d’Orsay.
There are many reasons for this interest in these former Soviet republics, but first of all in the context of the war in Ukraine. The invasion launched on February 24 by Vladimir Putin has indeed deeply burned Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which concentrate most of the population and economic production of Central Asia, and pushes them to seek other partners.
The situation is particularly complex for Kazakhstan, which refused to recognize the two pro-Russian breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in February 2022, attracting criticism from Russian nationalists. Although Astana enforces Western sanctions, it still has to deal with its imposing Russian neighbor and largest trading partner. Freshly re-elected President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made his first state visit to Russia, during which he reaffirmed on Monday that Moscow remains Kazakhstan’s first strategic partner. “For Kazakhstan, it is impossible to turn its back on Russia, says a Kazakh government source, but we are in the process of reassessing our ties with Russia. »
Sources d’uranium
The visit of President Tokayev to Paris from November 29 to 30 is in this respect “a very political and strategic objective”indicated the Elysée before the visit, describing this stay as an opportunity to ” consolidate “ the relationship with this country, in a context « difficile » for Central Asian countries. “We continue to (…) to show our Central Asian partners the importance we attach to their region, which is currently wedged between China and Russia, and which needs to open up new horizons”added the Elysee.
In addition to these strategic considerations, the visits of Kassym-Jomart Tokaïev and Chavkat Mirzoïev are also an opportunity to sign major contracts and bring French industrial know-how to these countries in search of new cooperation, indicates Michaël Levystone, researcher associated with the French Institute of International Relations. The visit of the President of Uzbekistan was thus an opportunity to sign “many economic agreements” in the fields of energy, transport, tourism and water management. The visit of the Kazakh Head of State, accompanied by a large delegation, should also be an opportunity to make progress in the field of green energy, rail transport, but also civilian nuclear power, with Kazakhstan cherishing the project to build its first nuclear power plant.
On the French side, the energy crisis is one more reason to try to get closer to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. «We import little oil from Kazakhstan, but these two countries provide almost two thirds of French uranium importssays Michaël Levystone. This is a big subject for us given our energy mix, especially since these two countries are more stable sources than Niger, our current leading supplier.»
The expert also recalls that exchanges with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are a way for France to obtain information on neighboring Afghanistan, which has always been a source of great concern for Paris and for the region since coming to power. of the Taliban.