Current Issues of Cooperation with France Discussed at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry

Astana, May 6, 2025 – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko met with Ambassador of the French Republic to the Republic of Kazakhstan Sylvain Guiaugué.

The parties discussed on the state and prospects of Kazakh-French cooperation in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian areas.

They reviewed the outcomes of bilateral interaction so far, highlighting the importance of implementing fully and in a timely manner the agreements reached during a state visit of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to France in November 2024.

On his part, Deputy Minister Vassilenko noted that “over the 33 years of diplomatic relations, Kazakhstan and France have succeeded in elevating bilateral cooperation to the level of an enhanced strategic partnership, which reflects mutual interest in developing the existing potential for cooperation between Astana and Paris.”

The most promising areas of cooperation identified included energy, particularly nuclear and renewables, rare earth metals, transport and logistics, healthcare, tourism and education.

As noted by Ambassador Guiaugué, last year the Embassy of France issued over 17,000 visas to citizens of Kazakhstan, which is 40% more than in 2023. Moreover, there are currently about 20 dual education programs between the two countries. In addition, many French universities consider Kazakhstan as a hub for promoting their cooperation with other Central Asian countries.

Moreover, the schedule of upcoming visits and events was discussed, including the organization of the Kazakh-French forum “French Day” ahead of the Astana International Forum on May 28, 2025. The purpose of this event is to expand bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy and critical raw materials, agriculture, healthcare, and urban infrastructure.

The interlocutors also congratulated each other on the upcoming Victory Day. In this context, Ambassador Guiaugué informed about the upcoming solemn ceremony on May 8 near the Charles de Gaulle’s monument in Astana in honor of the Kazakh partisans, who participated in the liberation of France.

At the conclusion, both parties expressed mutual interest in further deepening the strategic partnership and expanding ties between Astana and Paris.

For reference: France is one of the key trade partners of Kazakhstan. The volume of bilateral trade in 2024 increased by 31% year-on-year to 5.5 billion US dollars (exports – 3.3 billion, imports – 1.8 billion). Trade turnover in 2023 amounted to 4.2 billion dollars (exports – 3 billion, imports – 1.2 billion), 7.7% higher than in 2022 (4 billion). The volume of French investments in Kazakhstan’s economy amounts to nearly 20 billion dollars. More than 200 companies with the French capital are operating in Kazakhstan.