Kazakhstan

Political relations

France and Kazakhstan established diplomatic relations on 25 January 1992 and the agreements that constitute the basis for the bilateral relationship were signed during President Mitterrand’s visit to Kazakhstan in September 1993. The signing of a strategic partnership in June 2008 and the creation in 2010 of a Franco-Kazakh Presidential Commission, which takes the form of an annual meeting between the two Heads of State, injected impetus into our relations. Consultations have also taken place annually between the countries’ foreign ministries since 2011.

Economic relations

Kazakhstan is France’s leading trading partner in Central Asia, with €3.9 billion in bilateral trade in 2017, up 25% from 2016. France’s market share was 2.6% in 2016, making it Kazakhstan’s sixth-largest supplier, behind Russia, China, Germany, the United States and Italy. French companies are the third-largest foreign investors in Kazakhstan, with a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock of €11.14 billion. A joint commission governs France’s economic relationship with Kazakhstan, the latest session of which was held in Astana on 7 September 2017. Energy is the foundation of our economic relationship with Kazakhstan. There is also substantial cooperation in the space sector, both at industrial level and for the transit of French astronauts via Kazakhstan (take-off and landing of Thomas Pesquet from the Baikonur base in November 2016 and May 2017).