Bilateral relations

Bilateral relations

On 27 January 2012, France and Afghanistan signed a friendship and cooperation treaty. This treaty, which was concluded for 20 years and entered into force on 1 December 2012, establishes France’s long-term commitment and demonstrates its shift from a predominantly military relationship to a predominantly civilian one. It is supplemented by a five-year action plan which provides details on projects in the areas of security (military and police training), scientific, cultural and technical cooperation (agriculture, research, education, health, archaeology, governance), infrastructure (irrigation, electrification), economics and trade. For further details on French cooperation in Afghanistan, visit the website of the French Embassy in Afghanistan

Several high-level bilateral visits have taken place since 2012: The French Minister of the Interior, Mr Manuel Valls, travelled to Kabul on 15-16 February 2013, as did the Defence Minister, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, on 24-25 June 2013. More recently, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, visited Kabul on 19 November 2017. The Afghan Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Defence and the Interior came to Paris in September 2013, January 2014 and February 2017 respectively. For further details on bilateral visits, visit the website of the French Embassy in Afghanistan

French-Afghan bilateral trade remains low mainly due to security conditions. Nevertheless, it has been generating a positive balance since 2001. Following drops in 2013 and 2014 (€45 million in 2012; €25 million in 2013; €17 million in 2014), French exports to Afghanistan picked up in 2015, reaching €21.8 million. The three main types of French products exported to Afghanistan are foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and rubber and plastic products. Imports from Afghanistan were worth €6 million in 2015.

^{Updated: 14.06.18}