TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, September 18. The Director of the Uzatom Agency, Azim Akhmedkhadzhayev, held a meeting with Alexandre Gorbachev, Regional Nuclear Advisor at the French Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industry, and Digital Sovereignty, and Walid Fouque, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Uzbekistan, to deepen cooperation on nuclear energy projects, Trend reports.
The parties discussed cooperation with French companies, the implementation of Uzatom’s projects, and the broader prospects for the development of nuclear energy in Uzbekistan. France is regarded as a key partner for Uzbekistan in Europe, both in foreign policy and in economic cooperation, particularly in the field of nuclear energy.
In June 2025, Uzatom and the French company Assystem signed a Memorandum of Intent to establish a joint venture. The planned joint venture will provide technical support for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, as well as assist in the implementation of projects related to the country’s civil nuclear program.
Bilateral trade between the two countries grew from $257.2 million to $1.13 billion from 2017 through 2024, representing an average annual increase of more than 20 percent. This growth significantly exceeded the dynamics of Uzbekistan's trade with other European partners, which indicates a steady strengthening of bilateral relations. Only from January through July 2025, France ranked sixth among Uzbekistan's foreign trade partners with a trade turnover of $857.8 million, surpassing other European countries.