France–Kazakhstan relations are the

diplomatic relations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

between France and Kazakhstan. Both nations are members of the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

History

After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan became an independent nation in December 1991. France and Kazakhstan established diplomatic relations on 25 January 1992, with France becoming the first European nation to recognize Kazakhstan.Kazakh-French business ties strong at 25-year mark in relations
/ref> In September 1993, French President François Mitterrand paid an official visit to Kazakhstan.Relations bilatérales: Kazakhstan (in French)
/ref> In June 2008, both nations signed a strategic partnership agreement and in 2010, both nations created a joint presidential commission, establishing yearly visits by both heads of state and arranging for yearly consultations between ministers of foreign affairs of both nations, beginning in 2011.Relation franco-kazakhstanaise- Présentation (in French)
/ref> In 2008, France transferred its embassy from the former capital of Almaty to the country's new capital of

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...

. In 2010, the two countries created a Franco-Kazakh Presidential Commission, which takes the form of an annual meeting between the two Heads of State. The

Alliance Française An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

operates two centers in Kazakhstan, in Astana and in Almaty. In 2017, both nations celebrated 25 years of diplomatic relations. That same year, France participated in the

Expo 2017 Expo 2017 Astana was an International Exposition which took place from June 10 to September 10, 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The expo's theme was "Future Energy", and aimed to create a global debate between countries, nongovernmental organizati ...

being held in Astana.

High-level visits

Presidential visits from France to Kazakhstan * President François Mitterrand (1993) * President Nicolas Sarkozy (2009) * President François Hollande (2014) Presidential visits from Kazakhstan to France * President

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...

(2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) * President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (2022)

Bilateral relations

Since 1992, both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as a Treaty of Friendship, Understanding and Cooperation (1992); Agreement on Cultural Cooperation (1993) and an Agreement on direct air and train service for French military personnel and equipment traveling to and from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and for the use of

Shymkent Shymkent (; Шымкент, Şymkent), known until 1993 as Chimkent ( uz, Çımkent, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent ()); russian: Чимкент, translit=Chimkent (), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is one ...

airbase (2009).

Transport

There are direct flights between both nations with

Air Astana Air Astana ( kk, Эйр Астана, translit=Eir Astana; russian: Эйр Астана́, translit=) is an airline group based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It operates scheduled international and domestic services on 64 routes from its main hub, Alma ...

Trade

In 2016, trade between France and Kazakhstan totaled €3 billion Euros. Kazakhstan is France's largest trading partner in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

and France is Kazakhstan's sixth largest trading partner globally. France is Kazakhstan's third largest investor, and has invested nearly US$10 billion in the Kazakh economy. French multinational companies such as Alstom,

Engie Engie SA is a French multinational utility company, headquartered in La Défense, Courbevoie, which operates in the fields of energy transition, electricity generation and distribution, natural gas, nuclear, renewable energy and petroleum. It ...

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...

Saint-Gobain Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, founded in 1665 in Paris and headquartered on the outskirts of Paris, at La Défense and in Courbevoie. Originally a mirror manufacturer, it now also produces a variety of ...

Total S.A. TotalEnergies SE is a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company founded in 1924 and one of the seven supermajor oil companies. Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and ...

and Vicat, among others, operate in Kazakhstan.

List of French ambassadors to Kazakhstan

# 1992 1994 Bertrand Fessard de Foucault # 1994 1999

Alain Richard Alain Richard (, born 29 August 1945) is a French politician serving as Senator for Val-d'Oise since 2011. A member of the National Assembly for Val-d'Oise from 1978 to 1993, he was elected to the Senate in 1995 before his appointment as Minis ...

# 1999 2003 Serge Smessov # 2003 2006 Gerard Perrole # 2006 2009 Alain Cuanon # 2009 2013 Jean-Charles Bertonnet # 2013 2017 Francis Etienne # 2017 2020 Philippe Martinet # 2020 n. v. Didier Caness

Resident diplomatic missions

* France has an embassy in

Nur-Sultan Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...

and a consulate-general in Almaty. * Kazakhstan has an embassy in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

.Embassy of Kazakhstan in Paris
/ref> File:ALAFurmanov99.JPG, French Consulate-General in Almaty File:3 Rue de Tilsitt, Paris - panoramio (650).jpg, Embassy of Kazakhstan in Paris

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:France-Kazakhstan relations

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Bilateral relations of Kazakhstan