French President Emmanuel Macron is in Kazakhstan this Wednesday, November 1, then will head to Uzbekistan. The objective of this trip is to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties with the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Many sensitive subjects were raised with Astana and will subsequently be discussed with Tashkent, and in particular that of the French supply of uranium – essential for the energy production of the French nuclear fleet -, which the executive wishes to secure.
The question is all the more important as Paris severed its diplomatic ties with Niger after the coup d’état last July, this country being the second supplier of uranium in 2022, with more than 20% of total French imports.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan alone represent almost half of the uranium imported by Paris for the year 2022, with 37.3% for Astana and 12.9% for Tashkent. Kazakhstan is also the world’s leading producer of natural uranium, according to Euratom.