French diplomacy is expanding its alliances. And in the new list from the Quai d’Orsay is Mongolia. In view of this strategy, President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh begins a state visit to France this Tuesday focusing in particular on energy and uranium exploitation, indicated the government of this vast country landlocked between China and Russia.
This trip which will last until Saturday follows that in May to Ulaanbaatar by Emmanuel Macron, the very first of a French president in this country in which Westerners are showing growing interest. Even if it maintains good relations with Beijing and Moscow, Mongolia, a country of three million inhabitants, pursues a so-called “third neighbor” strategy which consists of also establishing close ties with other nations.
Coveted critical metals and rare earths
The two heads of state are due to discuss Thursday at the Elysée about Mongolia’s rich uranium deposits, which the French nuclear group Orano is seeking to exploit. Already present in the country, the company is a candidate for a large-scale uranium extraction project which must still obtain approval from the Mongolian government. The project, estimated at “more than a billion euros”, would “strengthen the strategic autonomy” of France, a source familiar with the discussions indicated in June.
The French executive, which notes that Mongolia contains critical metals and rare earths “necessary for the energy transition”, indicated that agreements would be signed between the two countries on the sidelines of the meeting between their presidents. This will be followed by a state dinner planned for Thursday evening at the Elysée with around a hundred guests.
Inauguration of a Genghis Khan exhibition in Nantes
The French presidency assures that it wants to “strengthen” its partnership to give Mongolia “the means to benefit from greater strategic sovereignty” in the face of these “two extremely powerful neighbors”.
The visit of the Mongolian president is also placed under the sign of culture. Ukhnaa Khurelsukh is due to inaugurate an exhibition dedicated to Genghis Khan on Friday in Nantes. Emmanuel Macron visited the museum of the founder of the Mongol Empire during his visit to Mongolia.