ASTANA – The Kazakh-French Investment Forum concluded with 15 documents on May 28 in Astana, including memorandums, investment agreements, and contracts in the fields of energy, tourism, healthcare, and water resource management.
Kazakh-French Investment Forum. Photo credit: primeminister.kz
Aimed at facilitating cross-border partnerships, the forum, taking place ahead of the Astana International Forum, highlighted the multi-faceted nature of Kazakh-French cooperation.
“Cooperation with France is one of the top priorities of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy and an essential part of our interaction within the framework of the European Union,” said Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov in his opening remarks at the forum.
“Today, our countries enjoy a robust and multi-dimensional partnership marked by strong intergovernmental and parliamentary dialogue and active trade and investment cooperation,” he added.
According to the Prime Minister, Kazakhstan is France’s leading economic partner in Central Asia, accounting for around 80% of France’s trade with the entire region.
Last year, bilateral trade turnover surged by 31%, reaching a record $5.5 billion, with exports totaling $3.6 billion and imports at $1.9 billion. France is also among the top three EU investors in Kazakhstan, with over 200 companies having invested $20 billion.
Success stories of French-Kazakh investment cooperation
Prime Minister Bektenov outlined several success stories of French companies that have invested in Kazakhstan.
“Total Energies is implementing a large-scale 1GW wind energy project in southern Kazakhstan under the Mirny project, reflecting our shared commitment to green energy and sustainable development. Alstom has localized production here and signed an investment agreement to further develop rail transport solutions. Air Liquid is advancing a major hydrogen production project at the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant, and today marks the signing of an investment agreement,” said Bektenov.
Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. Photo credit: The Astana Times
“In agriculture, Lidea has launched local seed production while companies like Danone and Lactalis play a significant role in developing Kazakhstan’s food processing and dairy sectors. We also cooperate closely with EDF, Orano, Axens, Assystem and Schneider Electric in energy, nuclear and industrial modernization projects,” he added.
Bektenov also highlighted the progress in educational and scientific cooperation with the opening of French schools in Astana and Almaty, the activities of Lumière Kazakh-French University Center and the new branch of the University of Lorraine under Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University.
Kazakhstan is fully committed to creating a favorable investment climate for foreign partners, said Bektenov.
“Kazakhstan is firmly dedicated to fostering an attractive investment environment for large strategic projects exceeding $60 million. We offer investment agreements with the government, guaranteeing legislative stability for up to 25 years and customized investor conditions. Our country possesses vast investment potential offering seamless access to natural resources, modern infrastructure and robust expert support,” he said.
Newly signed agreements
French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Laurent Saint-Martin, attended the forum as part of his first two-day visit to Kazakhstan. In a recent interview with The Astana Times, Saint-Martin spoke about the French government’s vision for collaboration and the major projects to be unveiled during his visit.
“France and Kazakhstan have been bound by a strategic partnership since 2008, and it is no secret that France relies on Kazakhstan for strategic supplies, particularly in the energy sectors and in metals used by our aerospace industry. In return, French expertise has been instrumental in helping diversify Kazakhstan’s industrial base,” said Saint-Martin at the forum.
Laurent Saint-Martin, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad. Photo credit: MEAE / Emily Bücker
“Here in Astana, there are two emblematic examples of this dynamic. The Alstom Electric locomotives manufacturing plant, a unique site that brings together all aspects of machinery construction and the Airbus Helicopters assembly and maintenance plant, the only one of its kind in Central Asia and which is capable of serving the entire region,” he added.
As part of his visit, Saint-Martin will lay the foundation stone for a new Alstom logistics center in Astana. Alstom has been a key player in Kazakhstan’s railroad industry since 2010.
Saint-Martin highlighted several key agreements signed during his visit, emphasizing efforts to diversify trade into new sectors where French companies can make meaningful contributions.
One of them is the investment agreements between Air Liquide and the Kazakh government, which will strengthen domestic fuel production capacities, replacing previously imported fuel and thereby reducing the country’s dependence on foreign sources.
Another one is an agreement between a renowned French digital services company Clever Cloud, and QazCloud, a leader in cloud solutions in Kazakhstan.
“The signing today of a joint venture agreement between Clever Cloud and QazCloud to collaborate on AI, AI-specialist training in particular, and to establish a sovereign cloud in Kazakhstan marks a major step in Franco-Kazakh cooperation in the digital field,” said Saint-Martin.
Agriculture has also been at the heart of Kazakh-French bilateral cooperation.
“We are pleased to support agricultural cooperation between Kazakhstan and France, the leading agricultural power in Europe. I am honored to announce today the French Treasury has awarded a grant of half a million euros to try and test in Kazakhstan the most advanced technological solution available on a number of pilot farms with the aim of boosting agricultural productivity,” said Saint-Martin.
Another milestone is an agreement between the akimat (city administration) of Karagandy and the French Suez company on water management for modernization of water supply on municipal systems.
Prospects for cooperation
Yersayin Nagaspayev, Kazakh Minister of Industry and Construction, said that Kazakhstan is ready to serve as a reliable supplier of critical minerals and metals.
“Our country possesses significant expertise in metallurgy as well as in the production of rare metals and critical raw materials (CRM). As of today, Kazakhstan is capable of supplying 21 out of 34 minerals and metals listed as critical raw materials by the European Union. In the medium term, there is a potential to supply the remaining 13 types of CRM as well,” said Nagaspayev.
“Today, Kazakhstan supplies titanium and beryllium to France and is ready to increase both the volume and the range of such supplies. Among our new achievements are the launch of gallium production, mastering the processing of nickel alloys with rhenium extraction, the release of Tesla-certified manganese sulfate, and the development of a project for the production of spheroidal graphite,” he added.
Bernard Fontana, chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Électricité de France (EDF) Group, attended the forum and expressed the company’s readiness to support Kazakhstan’s energy transition toward low-carbon solutions, including participation in the construction of a nuclear power plant.
“I’m happy to confirm our strong interest to contribute to the new nuclear [power plant] in Kazakhstan. The EDF can put at disposal its EPR technology (Generation III+ pressurised water reactor design), which for me means nuclear safety (…) and standards with scale effect and cost efficiency. And on top of that, it means for me sovereignty: we would pay a lot of attention to the sovereignty of our systems, of our components,” said Fontana.
