Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh on Tuesday begins a visit to France where he will discuss uranium mining and sign deals on energy and telecommunications, the Mongolian government said in a statement.
The visit, which will last until Saturday, follows a trip to Mongolia by French President Emmanuel Macron in May, during which the two countries pledged to expand ties.
They will also hold talks on Mongolia’s rich deposits of uranium, which French nuclear firm Orano is seeking to exploit in a deal yet to be approved by Ulaanbaatar.
A French official told AFP in June the project was estimated at “more than a billion euros” and would “make it possible to extract a significant quantity of uranium” to “reinforce the strategic autonomy” of France.
The Mongolian head of state’s visit will also focus on culture, with Khurelsukh to open an exhibition focused on his country’s founding leader Genghis Khan at the Nantes History Museum, according to his government.
“The significant progress we will make this week, building on President Macron’s visit to Mongolia in May, will leave us in a better place to tackle shared challenges and support Mongolia’s long-term development for decades to come,” the Mongolian president was quoted as saying in a press release.
Mongolia is pursuing what it calls a “Third Neighbour” strategy, in which it seeks to build closer ties with countries beyond the vast authoritarian powers next door.
Source: AFP