France and Central Asia

France’s presence in Central Asia consists of a network of cultural centres that foster French language and culture, combined with flagship enterprises active in the region, such as Areva, Bouygues, Alstom and Thales. The country also maintains military attachés across Central Asia, in particular, in Tajikistan, which is home to the air base that supports French operations in Afghanistan. France was one of the first European countries to forge diplomatic relations with the countries of Central Asia, as demonstrated by Francois Mitterrand’s visits to Kazakhstan in 1993 and to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in 1994, which were the first visits to the region by a European leader.

However, relations shifted in the second half of the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s. Like many other European countries, France has largely delegated democracy and governance promotion to European institutions, viewing these issues as integral to Europe’s branding on the international stage. It has concentrated on promoting its own direct interests, which are primarily economic and cultural in nature, but also include security interests linked to the ISAF intervention in Afghanistan. Relations between France and Central Asia have more and more been concentrated on energy and security, which has relegated human rights promotion to the background.